If you read my last post, you'll remember my back and forth discussion with Océane on whether or not my name was Kelsey or Cassis. I had two similar conversations today... one of them was with Océane. I was helping another student and from across the room, she kept yelling "Cassis! Cassis!" (This really gets on my nerves, they don't understand that I can only answer one question at a time and I can't even answer one question if they won't all shut up!) Anyways, I looked up at her and said "Je suis occupée! Et rappelle-toi que c'est 'Kelsey'." She shook her head and repeated Cassis. I give up. (Honestly, I don't care but I find it funny!)
In another class, I couldn't get Cassandra to stop talking, worrying about what others are doing, and drawing on the desktop and just do her work (and she wonders why I don't let her erase the board). She was trying to complain about another student saying my name incorrectly. I told her to worry about her own business and do her work, which she still hadn't started. The second I turned around, she was back to correcting Rémy on my name, telling him my name was Cassis. I looked at her and said "Non, en fait, je m'appelle Kelsey. Kel-sey." With a dead-serious stare, she corrected me "In English, your name is Kelsey. But in French, your name is Cassis." Oh really? I didn't know. "Bah, non. Kelsey n'existe pas en français. Je m'appelle Kelsey." I can't stand her.
On another note, I taught them today how to conjugate the French words avoir and être in English, which are two of the the most important verbs in the French language. I gave them a few examples of phrases and then asked them to invent a few phrases using each. To get started, I had a few students raise their hand and say a sentence they planned to write. Quinten raised his hand and said "We are white." I thought that's what I heard but wasn't sure. He repeated it but I didn't want to embarrass him by having him say it over and over. I asked him to write it on the board, so he wrote "We are white." I didn't really know how to react, since a huge percentage of the class is not white... I just kind of skipped over it and went onto the next...
I also had my youngest class literally undress me. Elyas grabbed my purse again and Caroline unwrapped my scarf and tied it around her neck. I will have to say that she looked adorable in it! Oh what a day... Only 7 class days left!
Bisous,
-kelse
Je suis occupée! Et rappelle-toi que c'est 'Kelsey'. - I'm busy! And remember that it's 'Kelsey'.
Non, en fait, je m'appelle Kelsey. Kel-sey. - No. In fact, my name is Kelsey.
Bah, non. Kelsey n'existe pas en français. Je m'appelle Kelsey. - Umm, no. Kelsey doesn't exist in French. My name is Kelsey.
avoir - to have
être - to be
Good thing you don't have "Johnny" in your class.
ReplyDeleteDude, why are you not 1) sending those kids out of class, 2) writing a note in their cahier for their parents and/or 3) making those kids write lines during recess or after school? Arguing with a French kid just makes them think they have a choice in the matter. Writing "My teacher's name is Kelsey 500 times" might make them change their tune.
ReplyDelete(Good Lord, reading that makes me realize I spent too long working in the French school system!!)