French 1 Teaching Highlights

Here are most of my hellions. I have 2 level 1 French classes, and they have certainly worn me in for my first year of teaching. I thought I'd share a few of the teaching highlights I've had during these past 9 months. I polled my French 1 classes to find out some of their most memorable moments and here's what we got. (Read on-I saved the best ones for last).

• Playing bocce ball (in French its called Le petanque) outside, which of course I kicked sophomore-tail at!!!


• Making our French silent film for a project....this included fake mustaches, cheesy French accordion music, and slap-stick Charlie Chaplin humor.


• Their Family Tree projects (L'Arbre de famille). This caused me to learn all kinds of interesting family histories and dramas. Plus, you've never seen 16 year olds get so excited about crayons.


• My students taking apart my telephone and strategically hiding all the pieces. (I'm not positive, but this may have been the first time they made me cry...but it's hard to say).


• My students stealing my keys and hiding them inside a lampshade....that took days to recover. (Heads almost rolled for this one).


• One of my students saying that he had never been baptized, because he wasn't Baptist. He's methodist, so he said...."I guess I was just methodized."


• A few of my students calling 911 from my classroom phone. I got in big trouble for that one.


• My most problem/mean student doing everything he could to freak me out...joking about killing me, pointing his hands at me like guns and shooting, staring me down with the utmost hatred in his eyes, etc. One day, I had had enough and during one of our stare downs I burst out laughing, and in front of the entire class I said, "I'm sorry, Joseph, I know you're trying. But you have got to be the most unintimidating person I've ever met." Being the scrawny little underdeveloped 15 year old he is, the entire class roared with laughter. He is still referred to as "unintimidating." Even by students who aren't in my classes. Sure he'll probably come back and shoot me one day, but it was worth it!

And their absolute favorite French class moment:

• Early in the year, I was leaning heavily against my podium when it slipped out from under me. The podium nearly flew across the room, and I (not so gracefully) had a 'cartoon-running-on-something-slippery' kind of moment with my arms flailing about all over the place. Rather than concern, the students' eyes filled with tears from their vigorous laughter. It's a miracle I did not die....of humiliation.