Collège Jean Baptiste de La Quintinye (Part 2)

Today I had the pleasure of visiting two of the international sections at Quintinye College. I found these sections rather intriguing because the students in these classes are fluent in both French and English. This allows for a more in-depth conversation with the students since there is not as much of a language barrier as there is with a student who is only partially fluent in English. As far as I can tell, there is a pretty even split in terms of preference between the students and teachers who have experience in both American and French schools. Students and teachers alike both like how they only have class until noon on Wednesday, but dislike how the school day goes until 5 in the afternoon the other four days. One trait of the system that the teachers love is that they officially spend 20 hours in-school each week, but I'm confident in saying that they spend an additional 20 hours out of school.

I also spent a bit of time looking for various forms of technology around the building, but I did not come across anything out of the ordinary...it was actually quite the contrary. Unlike most U.S. schools, there is no wireless internet network (not even a secure network for teachers to use). This really shocked me because of the vast amount of time that I have spent using internet based resources in the classroom over the years. In all honesty, the most advanced piece of technology that I came across was a single basic Epsom projector in one classroom that was not even capable of usage yet. This "lack" of technology leads me to ask myself if technology is more of a educational tool or a distraction...

Versailles!

After two intense days in the local classrooms of Bailly and Noisy-le-Roi, the twin city committee set up a day trip to Versailles for us. Now I’m not one to use expletives on a regular basis, but the chateau de Versailles is truly amazing. The overall expansiveness of the structure and grounds is simply breath taking, and the architectural genius is quite evident since the entire structure is symmetrical. Every square inch exhibits craftsmanship that is practically extinct in today’s day and age.  The gardens are a whole other project that requires a minimum of three days to truly appreciate and enjoy, which sadly I do not have the luxury of doing this time around. 

Collège Jean Baptiste de La Quintinye & Noisy-le-Roi Community

Today we visited Collège Jean Baptiste de La Quintinye, which is the French equivalent to an American middle school.  The overall appearance of the school could easily pass as a double for the school used in “The Breakfast Club”, but I did not come across Emilio Estevez charging down the halls or lounging in the library.  My peers and I immediately caught sight of an Albion banner in the main lobby, and we soon learned that there was also an Albion pennant and teddy bear in the dean’s office.

After meeting the dean, we broke into two groups and entered into two classrooms. The students in the class that I joined quickly engaged in a furious question and answer session, which was more than entertaining due to the language barrier and the overall enthusiasm had by all. Following this interaction, the dean of students then took us on a tour of the school, which was nothing short of impressive because everything was so streamlined and succinct.

Lunch time here is very different than American schools because students have 1-2 hours off to eat and converse with their friends. This is a stark contrast to American schools, where most  districts schedule 25-45 minutes for students to eat their lunch. Students can either go to the canteen, the French version of our cafeterias, or they can go home to eat. I found it rather odd that students are not allowed to bring their own lunches to school like American students, but I feel that it may prevent any sort of class differentiation in the lunch room because there is no chance for a debate over who's lunchable is better! Overall the quality of the food at Quintinye was surprisingly tasty, fresh, and healthy in comparison to American school lunches. Later that afternoon we went on a tour of the Noisy-le-Roi community and had a meet and greet with the Mayor!

Bailly Schools

For the second day in a row, I woke up the sweet scent of freshly made croissants wafting up the stairs…I think it’s safe to say that my own mother has some competition now!!  Our first appointment was at 9:00 this morning with Susan Koechlin, the deputy mayor or family, school, and seniors in Baily. Ms. Koechlin gave us a brief overview of the French education system, and the fiscal responsibilities that the mayors office, which the village historian followed up with a history of the Bailly region. From there we went on a brief tour of the Bailly community, which is more than rich in history. Everything here is pretty even in the dead of winter, from the beautiful local church to the historical prisoner tie-up across the street from one of the local watering holes.

Following our tour of the Bailly community, Ms. Koechlin led us over to the local elementary school, Ecole élémentaire la Pépinière, which was built in the 1970’s. la Pépinière is a rather small school, but it was quite clear that the teaches and administrators are all very passionate about what they do for the children.

Paris: Round 1

I woke up this morning to the smell of freshly baked croissants, which proved to be a tasty, yet filling meal that prepared me well for my journey into Paris that day. My peers and I ventured into Paris via the RER public transit system, which took us all the way from the St. Germain station to LaDefense station. From the LaDefense station, we walked up into the daylight and took in the sight of the Arche de Triomphe against the morning fog. The Arche de Triomphe is a tribute to those who fought and died during the French revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The names of the generals and the sites of key military victories are inscribed all around the exterior of the arche. The Arche is also the site of the tomb for unknown soldiers, which consists of an eternal flame that resides beneath the arche. From there we made out way to the Latin Quarter and explored the Pantheon, the Luxembourg Gardens, and a handful of other sites before we arrived at the Notre Dame and the “love locks” bridge before we hopped back on the RER and made out way to St. Germain.

Upon returning home I found out that today out that Jan 6th is the feast of the epiphany. It is the day the three wise men or three kings came to visit the infant Jesus after his birth, a time of celebration. For every French person, the Epiphany is synonymous with the “galette des rois”, a wafer king cake which is eaten ceremoniously a few days before and after 6 January. Since the 14th century, 6 January is the day in France to “tirer les rois” (decide who is the king of the day as in the three kings). A porcelain or earthenware figurine (a charm, called “la fêve” in French) or a broad bean, is placed in a traditional flat cake called “galette” whose round shape symbolises the sun. The “Galette des Rois” is made of flaky puff pastry layers and filled with a dense centre of frangipane. The youngest member of the family goes under the table to distribute the slices to the different people sitting around the table. The person who finds the lucky charm in their slice of ‘galette’ becomes the king (or queen) of the day.

Au Revoir Detroit!!

Everyone was on time and security was an absolute breeze. However, we now have more time to spare than anyone could ask for as we wait outside our gate for the boarding call. From there we have an 8-hour flight to Amsterdam, where we’ll have a brief layover for a bit over an hour, and then a quick 80-minute flight from Amsterdam to Paris. We’ve got our fingers crossed that there will be a decent in-flight movie!

T-Minus 156 Hours (6.5 days)!!!!

In just a few days, I will meet up with Emily, Lily, Rebecca, and Professor Cox at Detroit Metro Airport where we will board a plane in the early evening and will begin our journey to Noisy-le-Roi, France. I feel that it would be an understatement to say that I am excited, because I have been thinking about this adventure non-stop since before finals week. I’ve been dealing with an avalanche of questions since our January 4th from Detroit Metro Airport is now on the immediate horizon. I’ve been juggling a handful of seemingly simple, yet important, thoughts over the past couple days such as: what will my host family be like; will my non-existent understanding of the French language set me back; will the students understand the purpose of the lessons that I teach; and what will I forget to pack! As of right now, all of these worries are beyond my control except for the last one, but I’m not too worried about leaving anything behind…as long as it’s not my gift for my host family!