Saturday, February 6, 2010

School Begins!

Jon, the kids and I arrived by metro to their new school. We had to change trains and the commute, while in temp housing, will take 30-40 min. My stomach was a bit queasy as we waited for the doors to open. Obviously, we were 'Les Americains' but were greeted warmly by the staff. To our relief, the teachers and administrators all spoke English, and were very welcoming.


Both children's classrooms looked as if they could be in any school in the states. The children sit two to a desk and our kids were paired up with English-speaking children which put them both at ease. As we left Julian, we noticed that he was surrounded by at least ten very curious students. Audrey sat with an English girl in her 1st grade class, who helped translate the teacher's instructions throughout the day. Her name is Poppy, but the teacher pronounces her name 'puppy' which Audrey thought was hysterical!

With this being a private Catholic school, I expected it to be more formal. The teachers were dressed casually, some even wearing jeans and sneakers. The staff prefers the children to address them by their first names, which I found very surprising. It was such a comfortable environment, and compared to what I had heard about the strict French schools, I felt very relieved. Jon commented on how happy all the children seemed, which I had noticed as well.

After accompanying the children to their classes, Jon and I (along with two ladies from the relocation agency) met with the school director and administrator. The 1st grade trip (6 nights, no parents, on the Brittany coast) was brought up. I explained that I was not comfortable letting my 6 yr old go away for that duration, especially since we just moved here, and the trip is in a few weeks. The Director looked at me and did a 'tsk, tsk'. "We feel very strongly that it is in the best interest of Audrey to attend with her fellow classmates. It would be an excellent way for her to get to know her classmates and it is an important part of their curriculum." The other three ladies (including the relo. people, who are supposed to be on my side) all nodded their heads in agreement and added their two-cents worth as to why my 6 yr. old should be taken away from me for an entire week in a foreign land. Even Jon crossed over to the dark side and was nodding along. (I had to wonder if he was this easily swayed as a teenager.) Instead of screaming 'when hell freezes over', I politely stated that I would consider the trip. This seemed to hold off the mob temporarily.

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