Reason #45 I can’t keep up!

This teaching full-time thing is interfering with my writing. Oh!  That is right. It is the reason for writing!  I have an interesting dilemma. I cannot keep up with the reasons that are surfacing on a daily, if not momentary basis.  My planner is filled with notes. My mind is racing with ideas and visions of things that are happening. How exciting is that?

Tonight, I am going to start with my notes:  

A pony farm in Northern Sweden

“Are we really going to go workaway?”

SWCOLT – tumblr discovery

serenity within the stress

“Why do we have to écrivez so much?”

Je meurrai pour le français!

<<   >>

Camus

Flappy birds

A 90% ?  A 90% ?

kvalpen

<< Qu’est-ce que c’est….? >>

extra-special support from Seattle

“I love Ted talks!  I now do something I am afraid of everyday!”

Perspective

Our greatest purpose

Breaking a shell

Ready. Set. Action!  Community inspiring creativity

6 minutes that changed our lives

We all have a voice!

“This is the most excited I've ever been...”

The transfer of power

The spread of energy – A shift in thinking

New conversations

Meet a French hornet

A passionate purpose

Reason #44 Valentine thoughtfulness

You never know what a difference you will make in someone’s day with a little gesture of kindness.  Simple, little gestures need great appreciation and recognition.  

As the craziness of the day was going on in my French I class, one of my students, Thérèse, gave me a cute little valentine and candy.  It has been awhile since I received one and I so appreciated the thought.  I reminded me of the days of filling out everyone’s name and making sure they got just the right one. We really are never too old for these kinds of things!    

  

Well, why was this gesture so important?  It happened to be the one Valentine card I got and how wonderful it was! It truly is the little things that make life beautiful.    

Merci Thérèse pour avoir pensé de moi!  Tu as fait ma journée très spéciale ! 

This is why I teach! 

Reason #43 The economics of cuddling

This directly relates to the previous post, and merits its own recognition. Valentine's Day is full of funny surprises! 

While we were “working” on making collages in a more productive class than 2nd period, my French IV/V students were having a philosophical discussion about Valentine’s Day.  They talked about all of the big questions.  How much money is too much? Shouldn’t we spread this out over the whole year?  What about all of the other days?  Why in the world are there gigantic teddy bears walking around the school?

The next comment is one I think I will remember forever.  Felix said passionately:

“Where is all the cuddling going?  I have the supply.  Where is the demand?

The human race will cease to be with all these teddy bears getting it all!” 

The entire class burst into laughter and added to his original comment in ways I don’t remember because I was laughing too hard.  It wasn’t just what he said, it was the honestly and emotion with which he said it! 

Merci Félix pour ton enthousiasme et tes connections avec les économies et les ours en pelouse et ton beau poème!

My dear,

You are a bright star in a night without

clouds. you standout in the sky, and 

like a star give light to the world

you give joy no matter where you go. 

This is why I teach !  

Reason #42 Bears and Balloons

I said that Valentine’s Day week is crazy at a high school.  Well, Valentine’s Day is beyond crazy. 

At the beginning of first class of the day, walks a gigantic teddy bear literally the size of Françoise, the lucky girl who was struggling to carry it as it almost touched the floor. To top it off, not only did she have a bear, but the bear had a dozen roses!  And, she also had balloons!  Wow!  What a sight.  Luckily, I have a chair by my desk that was just perfect for our visitor Mr. Bear. 

In walked more balloons, roses, boxes of candy, pretty valentine’s bags, candy, little valentine’s and many smiles.  No one is ever too old to get a little Superman valentine and candy. It isn’t just for elementary school! 

To add to the fun, our oh-so-productive class was interrupted at least twice by choir members coming in to sing to other lucky girls.  Who could be annoyed at this sign of appreciation and love? Not me. I was more envious that anything, and happy for the girls to be at the center of this joyful attention. It was also cool to see the choir members’ talents!  They made the girls, and a few others like moi, cry.   

So Valentine’s Day on a Friday is quite a spectacle of laughter, smiles, and parading gigantic teddy bears!  It is also a lot of fun! 

This is why I teach!

Reason #41 Handstands in the hallway for Claire

Students never forget what you tell them.....at least some things.  

I have learned to be careful what I talk about with a class. Actually I am not so careful, I just know that it could lead in interesting directions and opportunities.  

One day in the Fall, when we were talking about weekend activities, I talked about doing yoga. My students thought this was cool, funny, unexpected….all sorts of things.

Claire, a very enthusiastic and energetic student,  asked me if I could do a handstand. I, having to be honest, said yes. She then proceeded to ask me to do one. Well, I put it off as I think I was wearing a skirt. Other days I was able to put it off as well.  Having surgery helped...well, at least with not having to do a handstand. 

Months have gone by and I thought she had forgotten.  Nope!  Today was the day.  Claire observed that I was wearing jeans and reminded me about my promise. When she then said that it could be for my blog tonight, how could I refuse? Well, I thought about how, but couldn't come up with anything. It was just a matter of where and when. 

  

At the end of class, we all went into the hallway and sure enough I did my handstand.  I am not sure that they thought I could actually do one.  Yeah for yoga!  After school, one of my students was walking by and wanted her boyfriend to see it.  I did another one and then my friend Molly understood what all the noise was in the hallway before the bell rang.  What fun! 

Alors, voilà Claire, juste pour toi!   J’espère que tu sois heureuse!  Merci pour ton enthousiasme et bonne energie ! 

  

This is why I teach! 

Reason #40 Georgette, la girafe

Who can have a huge giraffe in their workspace? Who has one? 

MOI ! 

Elle s’appelle Georgette et elle est fantastique!!! 

Remember how I said that I am not too old for stuffed animals or stickers? Well here is proof. I cannot tell you the joy that she brings, not only to me, but everyone else.  One on my administrators comes in just to pet her because Georgette makes her feel better!  How cool is that? 

How did this come about? How did I manage to obtain a gigantic giraffe for my classroom?  Well, she belonged to my son and one day I was picking him up from his dad’s house and Georgette, along with an elephant, were sitting in the foyer. I asked what was up and he said that he was cleaning his room and had outgrown them. Lucky me! You should have seen the look on his face when I lit up and told him that I would take them to school!  Yes, he rolled his eyes and the the “Oh mom…” thing. I didn’t care. I knew this was going to be fabulous.

About a week later, I came home and found Georgette and Babar (l’éléphant) in my living room! This was a surprise and so funny the way they were set up to greet me. Even funnier though was me taking them to school in the back of my convertible!  Actually, funnier still was me carrying them into school. Picture me carrying a gigantic giraffe into a high school, up the stairs, down the hallway. I was the talk of the town. It got better when I did the same thing again with the elephant!  A few months later it would be a dragon and a pony!

Georgette is now a centerpiece of my classroom, keeping me company next to my desk. Everyone gives her hugs and she makes us all smile and laugh. 

Merci Georgette!  Tu apportes la lumière et la bonheur à nous tous les jours !  Merci Sebastian pour nous a donné vos animaux ! Je t’aime.

Because I can have a gigantic giraffe, an elephant, a pony, a dragon, and two big boxes of stuffed animals in my class….

This is why I teach! 

Reason #39 The circus

Having summers off allows me freedom to travel and experience the world as a traveler, not a tourist. I like to stay with my friends in France, or friends of friends. There is nothing like living with people of a culture. That is the only way to really experience another way of life and learn how other people truly live.  You also get to eat really cool food!!! 

In my research on places to “work away”, a very interesting opportunity caught my eye. Do you remember my son telling me there is “absolutely no way” I can come up with 365+ reasons why I teach?  Well, he has always wanted to travel to South America as he wants to study botany. I am thinking that he deserves a very special experience considering his support of my efforts.

I have found the perfect summer experience for HIM….the circus!  There is a family circus in Brazil that is looking for people to come and travel around the countryside with them as they perform in small towns.  No experience required! He is 15 and strong. He just loves to work, ha. What a fabulous opportunity it would be for him.

I think that I will go the French Riviera to sell vegetables and send him to the circus!  I will get more writing done there! He would probably get bored anyways sitting on the beach, reading books, writing, hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, and sailing! Plus he is not that into cheese and pastries…too bad for him.   I wouldn’t want him to be bored and hungry!

Freedom to travel and opportunities to experience the world…

This is why I teach!  

Check out workaway possibiilties!

Reason #38 The possibilities of travel - Jeanne-Marie

The other day at lunch, Jeanne-Marie came to see me.  She has been out and wanted to check on the work she was missing. I always look forward to lunch visits from students. There is something about being able to talk to them in a quiet environment and connect with them in a new way. I am always, well almost always, in my room for lunch. If it weren’t for the fridge, I probably wouldn’t get lunch.  Where can I go for 30 minutes, actually 25ish minutes, that could be more peaceful than my room? Putting on a Ted talk makes it even better some days.

Back to Jeanne-Marie. Last year, we had our differences in the beginning of French one. As the year went on, things got better and better. It is interesting how students mature and change over the course of a year, or even a month!  Summers can be even more dramatic!

I came to really enjoy Jeanne-Marie’s enthusiasm and interest in French. As her skills increased, so did her confidence and our relationship got more and more positive.

When she came to me to talk about work, she also brought up the idea of going to France. She and another student had talked about doing a semester study-abroad next year as juniors. I so want them to go and experience being abroad. A part of me is being selfish and wants to be the one to take them to France. Is that being selfish? Maybe. I want to see the look on her face when she sees the Eiffel Tower for the first time or rides the metro. No matter how many times I go, I never get tired of being a part of others’ experiences of such a wonderful country.

Money is the issue. Isn’t is always? In the past, I have planned trips on my own to keep the costs down for students and it has been a great experience! Students have had to work hard to go and their appreciation deep.  I have some other stories about those which will follow.  I know that I will have 365+ reasons! 

Another inspiration from the coffee shop was this organization called workaway.info.  I found out that it is an organization which connects people who want to travel somewhere who are willing to work for someone when they get there in exchange for lodging. Awesome! 

Jeanne-Marie and I took a bit of time to check out the site. I honestly hadn’t taken the time to do so before but decided it would be cool to check it out with her. It was amazing to find that in exchange for 4 hours/day of help in the garden and selling vegetables at the market, one could stay in a big house on the French Riviera. Really?  Really!  

We are now on a path that did not exist before because an encouraging gentleman took the time to listen to my story and then share his own. How interesting that our lives intersect and create more paths than we imagined existed?

Merci Jeanne-Marie pour to intérêt dans le français et ton désire d’y voyager avec moi. Je serai ravie de voyager en France avec toi !    

The possibilities of sharing unique travel experiences with students which I know will forever transform us….

This is why I teach! 

Reason #37 Seraphine - An amazing artist!

For my mid-term project in French 1, my students had to create a book about them which would include a collage or images which represent them as well as a written description.  My students went above and beyond expectations and this is an example of the talent of Séraphine.

The question was “Qui suis-je?” or  ”Who am I?”

Merci Sérpahine pour ton effort.  Tu es si créative et a beaucoup de talent comme une artiste !  Que ton dessin est incroyable ! 

This is why I teach !

Reason #36 Creative contributions – acknowledging my students because they are amazing!

When I started my writing, I was so inspired and excited. That feel is still there and it gives me so much energy.  As the days go on, I have had more and more ideas for how I can incorporate my students into this little adventure of mine. After all, it is also their adventure!  I want it to not only be my writing about them, but them having an opportunity to share themselves as well.

I have been struggling with the desire to include my kids’ picture in my posts: to acknowledge them.  Having you see my kids’ faces would be awesome! Their energy and smiles would light up each entry.  I would love for you to be able to connect my stories with them. In our modern day society, however, there are legal issues with  which could be addressed with parental permission, but it still leaves room for complications. 

After this brilliant idea, I was left with this challenge how I could bring it to life. At least that was the situation before my trip to the coffee shop. You just never know!

So, this relates to my previous post.  How did my coffee shop conversation inspire a solution to my dilemma? Well, based on project that Monsieur David had created, I realized that I could include my students’ artwork or something else they created as a part of my post. They could create something which would be impressionistic and totally their own. You will notice that I will be adding that to my posts.  Students are creating postcards that represent who they are and what they would like to share.  Some are going to write poems. For some I will include the work they are doing in class.  In the end, this could be way better than pictures!!  How awesome is that! 

Letting go of my solution enough to allow another to come into view: that is the beauty of inspiration.

I am super excited to share more of my students; to have the opportunity and the place to show off how amazing they are!

This is why I teach!  

Reason #35 Coffee shop conversation

Remember when I said before that people do not support teachers?  Well, it has been about six weeks of writing and I have to say that there are so many people who support me and encourage me along my adventure.  Why is it that the negative voices speak so loudly sometimes? Spending the past six weeks looking for ALL the good, and finding it everywhere, has really opened my eyes to the positive all around me.  Now I know that I will get 365+ reasons! 

So, why a coffee shop?  Well, a few weeks ago I went to my favorite little coffee shop to work on a few things. I was happy to find a seat in a cozy chair by the fireplace; this is why it is my favorite coffee shop;  that and the fact that they have awesome pain au chocolat!  I couldn’t have two more fabulous reasons to go hang out there.  Or could I?

Well, it turned out that I actually did have another reason which I was about to discover, a delightful reason at that. When  the blinds were closed in the big window across from me, a very interesting conversation started with a gentleman sitting across from me who was rather liking the sun as much as I was.  An unexpected surprise, our conversation would give me so much inspiration and new resources which will lead to new paths and adventures. 

As he shared his story, he inspired me in many ways through the work he is doing as well as his outlook on life.  These ideas are inspiring my projects as they evolve and develop more fully. These specific inspirations warrant separate posts which will follow as they involve students as well. Community does indeed inspire creativity! 

His support and encouragement reminded me that people do really care about what I do and they do believe in my work. What I do is important and other people do recognize that. I must take in the positive voices and hold on to them tightly. They are the ones that move me to the future, a bright future filled with beautiful experiences. 

Merci David pour la bonne conversation et ton encouragement!

Being a teacher…having amazing students…having crazy stories to tell....meeting people with whom I can share these experiences who in turn inspire me...

This is why I teach!

  

Reason #34 I got it! I’m feeling it!

I have wondered why it is that freshmen have the energy of puppies.  They can just go and go and go. Their attention span leaves something to be desired if the activity is longer than 30 seconds. Their desire to interact with others is unstoppable.  Or is it?  That is the big question.  

How in the world do you get a freshman to focus?  Well there is no getting to be got.  They have to do it themselves. That is the catch.  It is not up to me.  If only it were!  Some of my days would be so much easier!

Now, puppies have tons of energy.  But they also have a sweetness to them, a desire for attention. One of my dear freshman is moving along in many ways.  He is now not wearing his hat in class.  Yeah! 

Today he was able to focus on our activity, after a little standing and getting a better view of the class during my explanation.

As this is Valentine’s week, students are creating a card to give to someone. Sitting next to Victor, Léonard asked me to read what he had written before he put it on his card.  I was quite impressed and with pride and confidence he said “I get it. I’m feeling it!  I’m feeling it!” It was hilarious.  I thought he was going to jump up and dance. I was about to, so impressed with his focus and happy to see what he could produce when he did!  Amazing!

That was not the end of the excitement with Léonard.  When I went to work with Victor and asked him to write a little more, Léonard looked at what he wrote and said “Touch her heart. Reel her in.” The tone with which he said it was so dramatic! We would have never, ever guessed he had that in him!  What fun!!      

Seeing student step out and show off their enthusiasm… 

This is why I teach!

Reason #33 The Standing Solution – Stretching my creative thought

Sometimes it takes a moment of creativity to come up with a new solution, at least for me, to a never-ending situation.  

How can I encourage students to pay attention?  Is it that today’s television has 30 seconds commercials in between 5 minutes of whatever show?  Is it that kids today have video games and computers flashing at them all day long? Is it that they are attached to ear buds and cell phones? Am I so boring?  No. That can’t be it. I may be crazy, but not boring, just ask my son. I guess I may not be as interesting as the person sitting next to them: they are so missing out! 

The age-old situation is me presenting a lesson to 25 some students and 4 of them just seem to think that my talking is a signal for them to talk.  It is kind of creepy.  I talk and then it is like an echo of little voices.  Sometime I think that I am hearing things, and that may indeed be true, but most of the time it is not my imagination. It is just my reality and a challenging one at that. 

My new solution: have students stand up.  That’s right, just simply stand up right at their desk. The beauty of this is that I do not have to stop class, speak in English, or write up anything for the principal. After all, who wants to stop class or take time to write up a student who is already taking too much energy away from me and my teaching? Not me. 

So, one day I got an idea.  I simply said to the chatty student “Levez-vous.” and waved at him as a sign to stand. At first they didn't get it.  Why would they? They weren’t paying attention to begin with for starters.  The lucky student then gets to have a better view of the class and is free from distractions and distracting.  They have to stand until I tell them to sit down and a funny thing is that I often forget and they can go for quite a while, sometimes I don’t know how long. C’est la vie! 

This new “standing solution” seems to be working.  I do have a few students who seem to want to stretch their legs more than others.  One got to do so four times the other day. I started having him stand closer and closer to the door.  Maybe I will have to try the “nose to the corner” idea?  Could I get away with that? How about duct tape? Let’s just say I am going to have hope that standing will work just fine! 

Working to find simple solutions to age-old challenges:  This is why I teach! 

Reason #32 Valentine’s Day week creativity and enthusiasm - Marielle

Last week was snow, this week is Valentine’s Day. The impact is the same…general craziness.  Instead of trying to swim upstream, we are creating valentine’s cards, learning and creating terms of endearment, putting them up in the hallway as decorations, writing poems, watching movies with the theme of love, and laughing. 

How cool it is to have my kids cutting and coloring, showing off their creative talents.  It is also about language, seeing the way they put together the ideas we are learning and make them their own.

Kids are never too old for stickers, stuffed animals, stamps, or smiley faces. Really! Are any of us?  I know I am not and it does show in my classroom. 

We have created this fun wall of expressions of love…ways to address the special people in our lives. 

One of my students, Marielle (friend of the other Marielle from earlier) is such an awesome student.  She is always on top of things and has a talent for French.  Yesterday, she created the coolest card to add to our wall.  Watching her take her time with all the little details, was so fun! I think the smile on her face said it all…and more!

 

Experiencing students’ enthusiasm and creativity…

Merci Marielle pour tes efforts et ton enthousiasme.  Tu es si créative !  Je suis si heureuse que tu étudies le français !  Continue le bon travail !  

.

This is why I teach!

I challenge you to take out the scissors, glue, markers, construction paper and create something special to share with someone in your world! 

Reason #31 Snow thoughts, special comments

Being a part of an urban school community where so many remember that I live in the mountains and say “Oh, you made it in today! I was thinking about you and if you would. What is it like out there?” whenever it snows is really special.  

I said that snow brings a whole experience of emotions and excitement to everyone at school. It is true! How luck to be able to experience it! 

Merci Madame Z, Monsieur C, Monsieur V !

Merci Mme May pour ta patience quand il faut que je reste aux montagnes à cause de la neige.  Je t’apprécie beaucoup ! 

Working with wonderful colleagues…

This is why I teach!  

Reason #30 Simon's Cat and Common Core

If you don’t know what “Common Core” is then count yourself lucky. It is the newest movement in education and something we are all now working with in our schools. It is not a bad thing, it is just good teaching and what so many teachers already do and have been doing for years and years.

One super cool thing is that I have created a way to use Simon’s Cat to meet Common Core Standards!!!  Awesome!  Who needs to have boring reading and writing?  Not me! Not my students.  I can take one little episode of Simon’s Cat and turn it into an entire lesson! 

I can even use Simon’s Cat to give students a requested/begged for “break” on Friday. What they don’t quite get is that I am talking about each one in French so the break is not entirely free. Yeah for Simon’s Cat! 

I am so excited about the new Valentine’s episode.  It is going makes us all laugh. I was actually just laughing so hard I was crying. At least I am easily entertained. I am a kid at heart which is why working in a high school is good for me!  My kids love Simon's Cat too.  If I mention "Le Chat de Simon", I have students who sigh and say “I love Simon’s Cat.” and laugh talking about their favorite episode. What is cool is that I am teaching the possessive use of "de" and definate article "le" every time I say the title. Sneaky, I know. 

Check it out and have a laugh! We will be!

http://www.simonscat.com/Films/Smitten/

Being able to use Simon’s Cat as a teaching strategy…

This is why I teach! 

Reason #29 Practicing a powerful habit – love is freedom

This video is so inspiring I am putting it in a separate blog because I think that it deserves a special look as a reminder of the fact that we have choices and our choices do matter. We WILL impact other people, all the people in our lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJvEoLPLIg8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAJvEoLPLIg8&app=desktop

I think that to be a teacher it is important to really understand unconditional love and what it looks like every day.  I know it may be cliché, but it really does exist and it is so important. As people, we all want to be loved and accepted. That is just the way we are wired. I have to keep this in mind as I walk into my school, as I work with so many amazing people.  

It takes more energy to deal with upset and judgment than it is to love. If that is so, why is there so much drama? Why so much upset? It is habit? Our students see so much drama everywhere: TV, film, music, the hallways, maybe home, everywhere! Why do I get grumpy with my kids and have rather loud “announcements” in French? You should see the look in their eyes when I raise my voice and just go on and on in French…it is quite effective with getting their attention, and if nothing else funny.  It even works with kids from other classes!  I guess that it is actually making them interested in taking French.  Imagine that!  

There are so many questions I have to ask myself. This is why having summers off can be a necessary thing!     

Where do they experience love? Do they experience love? What do they experience in my classroom? with me?

This is my challenge…to make love my powerful habit because they all deserve it: all the people in my life deserve it. 

My kids are awesome. The people in my life are awesome!  You all really are!!!  Each and every one of you! Thank you for making me feel good when I am having a hard day. You have no idea how much you mean to me!  

You are loved….remember that always.

Merci à vous pour faire ma vie spéciale tous les jours!   

This is why I teach.

Reason #28 Unforgettable moments of the heart - shared

On my way to school yesterday, the delay day, a friend called and said that I just had to watch the video he sent to me (at 3:30am).  He actually said I needed to stop what I was doing and watch it.  It was a case of “national security”.  Well, I was driving so I did not stop but told him I would watch it during my lunch instead of a Ted talk, my normal lunch entertainment and inspiration. He had me very curious, however, because his recommendations are always great so this higher-than-normal level of excitement meant something special.

If you read no farther, or do nothing else, watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJvEoLPLIg8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAJvEoLPLIg8&app=desktop

My French II classes were in the library which was nice on a delay day.  They were working on writing a response to “Is it possible to transform the lives of other people” which was to discuss life experiences in regard to the film "Les Choristes" we watched. I was super happy with the level of engagement and productivity, the levels of thought going into their reflections.  How awesome it is to have these conversations with students at the ages of 15 – 18!  I am so lucky!

The discussion of transformation has been a big one, both in my personal life and teaching. I have experienced a personal transformation that could be an entire other blog....maybe when I get to 365+. With my students, I have worked with some fabulous films about how community shapes people, how people can transform, and how people do have the power to impact others, for positive and negative. We talk about how we have power to shape our world. This is a theme important for all of us to consider frequently.

My French IV/V class came in and we had the little episode with Solange’s “Pas de français” conversation.  Immediately following that came the expected “Can we please have a day off?  Please?  S’il vous plait?” Well, I had already been process that idea considering we had a shorter-than-normal class and had the video recommendation in the back of my mind.  I gave in- so difficult to do, not really.

I then proceeded to put on the video my friend sent to me.  It has to be one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen and is EXACTLY what we have been discussing. This guy is living proof that we can transform the lives of others.  He transformed our hearts in 45 minutes.  Words can not express the power behind his message.  

Everyone needs to experience it for themselves. Everyone….often!

The fabulous thing was that this experience was shared. We all went through it together! We were all moved and touched and now have a different outlook on life, community, ourselves, the world! We will always remember that video, that moment in time we shared together….and the box of Kleenex!  Thanks Solange for sharing it with me!

Merci Alexis. Tu nous donnes un autre exemple de comment c’est possible de transformer la vie des autres personnes. J’ai de la chance que nous sommes amis. 
J’attends la prochaine vidéo avec impatience !   

This is why I teach !

Reason #27: Pas de français aujourd’hui Madame!

The snow adventures continue.  I said things get exciting and they really do! 

Yesterday was a delay day because of snow and the campus was covered with it. How beautiful it is when the trees and grass are all covered!  The mountains to the east of school get snow frequently throughout the winter. I am so lucky to have a view of the mountains from my desk, at least a little view now that the new three-story took the panoramic view I had a few years ago. We do not, however, get snow often at school.  When we do it is like I said in my other entry, it gets crazy!! It is like a different world to me. Just having clouds is different as the sun is always, always shining. Clouds are cool, but snow is even cooler! 

So we had a delay day and some kids were in a grumpy mood. Many of them were upset because they had so planned on sleeping in longer than two hours, them and me too!!!  Some of them were also grumpy because their parents forced them to go. My son was the same way, so determined for his “safety” during these “harsh” conditions. Nice try…didn’t work though!  

The biggest question students pose is “Why? Why do we have to be here?” Of course, I have no answer and am feeling the exact same way. One good thing is that we do get extra sleep and do not have to make it up at the end of school. So all in all, it was not a terrible thing to experience.

That changed, however, when one of my French V students came in and was just so upset.  After being together for 4 years, it doesn’t take but a second to get when they are in a bad space.  Solange was sitting on the desk with Pierre next to her and when I asked how she was doing. She responded “Mal. Très mal Madame. Pas de français. Pas de français aujourd’hui. C’est un jour terrible.”  I then asked her “Pourquoi?” Solange then went on to explain how the sidewalk was icy and she fell three times and hurt herself. The great thing, about the explanation, not the situation, was that she explained the entire thing en francais!!!  Bravo Solange!!!  It was really funny that at the end of the explanation, she stopped and thought for a second before she realized what she had done and said “J’ai parlé français.”  We all applauded and then she got hugs.

Merci Solange pour tous tes efforts en français! 

Tu parles si bien et que je suis heureuse que tu es rentrée ce semestre. bisous  

Now, this is why I teach !!!  

Reason #26 When a film becomes a reality

How cool is it when a student experiences something through a film and then wants to incorporate it into his own life and world. 

One of my students came up to me and told me that he proposed one of songs from our recent movie “Les Choristes” for our school choir. Now we all know what happens when we have a good idea…we get put in charge of making it reality.  So my excited student, now dreading his great idea, is now going to be working with one of our choirs to bring this song to our school!

I know he will be awesome and I am so thankful for his interest in French and talent. He has even asked for extra work because he will be graduating early.  I am thrilled that he is asking for more. How many students do? However, I am also selfish in my wanting him to be in French another year.  He has added so many amazing stories to our class and really shows me how a motivated student can grow so quickly in his mastery of the language.

Merci Alphonse pour ton effort et ton travail supérieur!  

Je suis si heureux que tu étudies le français !

This is why I teach!