On weather and teaching

So it turns out that this winter here is one of the worst in a while. France isn’t usually a country known for it’s harsh winters and yet the temperature has been hovering around 5C and under for the majority of winter with predictions of more snow in the coming days. And to think that Thomas said that it usually doesn’t snow here. Lucky me!

Though I must say, as pretty as snow can be, it sure is annoying at times! Especially old snow turned to ice. Eesh, talk about difficult to walk in!

So school. Or rather schools. There was one teacher earlier who irked me because she couldn’t really control her kids. She was rather young, had a very boisterous group of kids, and it didn’t seem like anything was getting done. It annoyed me endlessly when the students got up to ask her a question while I was talking and continually said “maîtresse, maîtresse” tout le temps when their hand (or rather, finger) was already up. Why, why, why must you keep calling even though your hand is already up? It doesn’t make sense to me. And yes I’ve heard the previous five times you called me, but since I’m talking to someone right now, you’ll just have to wait. And stop calling me. Especially from a foot away.

Unfortunately for her, or maybe fortunately I’m not actually sure where she is now, hopefully to a better class, she isn’t at the school anymore and is now replaced with another teacher which seems to have a better grasp over the kids. They’re a bit calmer, but still as… lively.

I like to think that after being at Challenger for two years that I have a pretty decent hold over my class. True, three-quarters of those two years was with another teacher in the room while they still had double-teacher classrooms, but the last quarter was on my own and the students that came out of that quarter was a lot better behaved than when I entered the classroom. Albeit there was a fair share of drama amongst the parents, the school, and me we made it to the end with a good deal of improvement.

But here in one of my classes, the ten/eleven year old kiddies seem to want to drive me crazy. My little kids are great more or less; at least with them I have a grasp of the classroom and they listen to me. There will always be those students that give up half way through my directions and pout and fold their arms and repeat “je pas compris!” over and over and over again without any attempt to try to understand what I’m saying. What’s worse is that I’m already incorporating French into my lessons which I was told not to. So then here are my eighteen ten to eleven year old kiddies that insist on talking when I’m talking, won’t shut up except for the ten seconds after I or their regular teacher scolds them, snicker and giggle, and ultimately annoy the hell out of me. I’ve tried kicking the troublemakers outside, only to have them goof off in the hallways. I’ve tried writing their names down on the board for punishment during récré, ultimately to little avail. I tell them that we can have fun after they figure some of this stuff out. Is it that difficult? Or do they just want to drive me over the edge?

I think I’ve become that teacher. The one where the kids have already seen is frustrated, and now they are having their fun. Must regain control.


Sigh. So frustrated.