Life at the lycée

A "lycée" is a French high school, and where I will be spending all of my working hours. I work with the older students, in an effort to help prepare them for the big test they take at the end of the year. It is a bit like the SAT or ACT, as it is required for entrance into a university, however it is more intense. For the English part of the exam, there is a new speaking section that has been added, so my job is to speak in English with the students as much as possible! I plan to incorporate American songs, video clips, and media/news into the lessons as much as possible. The broad theme I am supposed to tie my lessons to right now is "myths and heroes," so let me know if you have any ideas of things in American culture that would fall under this theme! They have been focusing on Steve Jobs, which is an interesting choice.

Last week was the first time I went to my new school and met the teachers and students that I will be working with it. I was welcomed by all, and I really like the school. It was supposed to be an observational week, but that meant that the teachers stuck me in front of the classes and had the students ask me questions in English. At first it took a little while to get them going, but by the end, we were having a fun conversation. They asked about me, where I was from, and how I liked France. They were also very interested in American politics, and many wanted to know if I ever met any famous people. One of the students came up to me at the end of the class and gave me a list of French movies she thought I should watch. I like being in a high school, because the students are connected to American culture through music and American t.v. series. All of them know about Pretty Little Liars, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, and Glee (to name a few). It is fun to have conversations with them. Although we are limited with what we can talk about due to vocabulary, they certainly have mastered the basics and some are very good at English. 

High school in France is different than in the U.S. because students choose an area to specialize in, such as math, literature or science (kind of like how college students in the U.S. pick majors). Also, they are only in high school for three years. Furthermore, the school day lasts until 5 or 6pm, so it is much longer than the typical high school day of classes, but students do have breaks between classes sometimes. To me, french high school overall is more like college.

This week I will prepare my first lesson plans and start teaching!