France - 10/11/00

10/11/00

Class today was 2 1/2 hours of writing an essay.  Yuck.  Afterwards, we had the meeting about teaching English in Auvergne.  I'll be at the Lycée François-Rabelais in Brassac-les-Mines - a 45ish minute train ride from here.  I met with my teacher contact person afterwards and found out the only day our schedules work together is Monday.  So I'll be taking a before 7am train every Monday and taking a 6pm train back.   I'll be teaching 7 hours on Mondays!  Yuck.  And the school is a "professional" high school, so it trains future cooks, pastry cooks, waiters/waitresses, and sales-people.  She said it's kind of the equivalent of an inner-city US school, minus the violence.  The kids have family problems and there are a few pregnant teens, etc.  Also, they know very little English!  What in the world am I supposed to do with a class full of kids who don't really speak English, when the only thing I'm supposed to do with them is speak English?  I'm already feeling helpless and frustrated and discouraged.  Lord, please help me out with this.  Calm my fears and give me the strength to accomplish this!  (sigh)  After the meeting, Morgan and Sarah and I bought  our schoolbooks at Les Volcans and I bought some socks and a scarf at C&A.  No mail today and I  can't call my Jamie, either.  Life isn't looking good right now.  I miss you, sweetheart.  I love you.