Yes, the idea of shaving
a cat came up in class. In French,
proverbs are a part of everyday conversation. For this reason, I teach them in
all classes and work with proverbs that fit our theme. In my upper level classes, I was working with
ways to tell someone about having a lot to do and that there are many ways of
doing things.
How many proverbs do
you know? Can you think of one right off
the top of your head? Maybe one or two? Maybe none? A funny thing that I am finding is that
my students do not know proverbs in English. It is like a double-duty lesson. I
have been surprised by the number of students who look at me blankly and are
then excited to have learned a new proverb in two languages.
I was working with my
French IV/V class and the expression of the day was: “Il y a plusieurs façons
de plumer un canard.” This literally means: “There are many ways to pluck a
duck.” The kids got the duck part and
then struggled to figure out the English version. When I mentioned cat and skinning, Pierre
said you mean “There are many ways to shave a cat?” Why not? The rest of the
class burst into laughter and that has been the proverb ever since. How creative they can be!
Merci
Pierre pour ton enthousiasme et créativité. C’est un vrai plaisir de passer du
temps avec toi il y a quatre ans! Oh que tu es doué en français !
Creative liberties in
both French and English….
This is why I teach!
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