Vrai prof?

Still foggy. This is Saint-Pierre, a church next to the Saint-Pierre tram stop - also the only place to make a rendez-vous in Caen. Looks really creepy at the moment because of all the fog I have to say. It has not reallysunk in yet what a beautiful city I live in - every time I look at this church I think it looks more CGI plonked down in a city with a green screen than an actual church!

Primary highlight of the day has most definitely been teaching poetry to the cinquième and the troisième EURO. For the younger cinquième I chose a poem by Spike Milligan:-

On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!

I remember absolutely loving this poem as a youngster and really hoped that they would like it too! Luckily they really did, and we spent an hour reciting, translating (where possible) and generally letting the kids play around with the noises of the poem. Worked so well, and so glad I chose this one!! The pupils were all clamouring to be chosen to recite it, and by the end of the lesson all of them could do it perfectly with the help of the words. Not bad, if I say so myself!

For the elder troisième EURO I decided to give them a bit of a challenge so chose a sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:-

SONNET #43, FROM THE PORTUGUESE
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints!---I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!---and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Pretty hard stuff really when you're still learning. Was really impressed with just how much they understood straight away - and things got really interesting when they also started to recite the poem. As they were that bit older, I would correct their pronunciation and point out any recurring mistakes. A really interesting exercise, as it really showed me just how much the two languages have in common yet at the same time showing just how different the two are! I have underlined the most common mispronunciations; will let you decide why those in particular! My favourite mispronunciation has to be, "How do I love three?".

Secondary highlight of the day has to be the fact I got told off by a teacher for leaving the school "without my parent's signature". Yes, that's right; she thought I was a pupil. I work in a collège. I don't look like I've had a hard life, but I definitely don't look 16! Don't know whether to be complimented or insulted to be honest! I A lot of my friends who are working at lycées have been mistaken for students due to the lack of school uniform and only a few years age difference between them and the students...but I definitely didn't think that this could happen at a collège...

Came home after a rather productive day and skyped my mum, followed by Andy, then back to my mum (joined by my dad this time!). Great to talk to everyone, and I'm so glad that things seem to be coming together for everyone. Cannot wait to go home and see them all!

Words I have learnt today:-
- Silly - stupide
- Upland - hauteurs
- Teapot - théière
- Griefs - chagrins
- Ideal - idéal
- Passion - passion
- To count - compter