Hi folks! I'm home, but I'm so excited for Spec A and jennym that I didn't think much about my little drama.
Here's a quick update. The grade 8's were just going through the motions today, which is all you can expect at this time of year. (Keep your mind out of the gutter all. These are 13 year old kids were talking about and I'd really like to keep my teaching licence.) We got to the "un message dans une bouteille" line again and...nothing. Just as well, I thought, since I had forgotten to pack my photos this morning. (I had been too busy enlightening samburu on the significance of Victoria Day. You guys are gonna make me late for work one day.) But then a few minutes later the kids were working on a written exercise and Red Head Junior raised her hand. Instead of asking me to clarify a finer grammar point she inquired, "So Madame, ya listen to any good Police songs on the weekend?"
I answered, "You do this work and tomorrow all my deep, dark secrets will be revealed."
She looked a little skeptical but actually started doing the exercise.
Later, I crossed path with the girl in the hall on two occasions. Both times she said, " Bonjour Sting Lover, I mean, Madame." The second time, the school custodian overheard and turned to me and quizically said, "Sting? Yuck!" My exact words from Friday! Now I've got to defend myself in front of him, too. Once a school custodian knows something, the whole school knows it.
So at lunch time, I started writing Les aventures de Madame à Buffalo. It's coming together quite nicely and I'm covering all the grammar and vocabulary that needs to be reviewed before year's end. Stuff the pirate story! If mine doesn't capture my kids' interest in the dying days of school, nothing will.
So, Mr. Copeland, you've got a nation, Copelandia. You've got a flag and that flag has now TWO anthems. You've got a friggin' language and glossary. And very soon you will have a Grade 8 French unit meeting the curriculum expectations of the Ontario Ministry of Education.