Today is like any other day. I went to bed last night with the hopes of fulfilling my domestic duties~sweeping, doing dishes, putting away groceries/organizing the fridge (after Kyle does the shopping), cleaning the bathroom, and beating the rug. Laundry is usually in the mix on Wednesdays, but it's an every other week activity. Upon waking up this morning, I knew before I was fully conscious that these household chores were unlikely to be fulfilled (as well as my QT with Billy Blanks...) Good morning sinus headache from the depths of Hades. Tylenol, Sudafed, a hot shower, two cups of coffee and still no relief.... I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but these headaches almost always miraculously strike on my days off. It's perfect because I've only missed one day of school for a headache~what are the odds? However, it's a terrible way to pass the free days.
One of my main employments of time on these days is distracting myself with various things. I'll listen to talk radio or enjoy an Office marathon. It gives me ample time to read (though reading doesn't always quite distract me from the throbbing percussion occurring in my cheekbones). I believe I need a new method...
Today I blog to distract. Today I wanted to share something a little different about life in France. After interning at CCF and then working with a Christian non-profit health organization and a Christian shop dedicated to helping artisans in the third world, it was very easy for me to see in what ways God chose to use me. I believe I needed these jobs to keep my focus on God when I was working. In a way it was easier~I could talk openly about my faith and pray or read my Bible at breaks or with my co-workers and it was entirely acceptable. Even on the challenging days, I always had the support of a Christian community.
For months I was perplexed by how this job could yield anything for the Lord. Unlike babysitting or nannying, I can't build close relationships with my students. That would be a challenge in and of itself; there are more than 100 of them. On top of that, I want to maintain some of the professionalism and boundaries that teachers need to have. I believe now that my role in the little ones' lives is very subtle, but it can be significant.
I've become a moment seeker. Little moments where I can learn something about a child I didn't know before, treat them special, or encourage them to imagine big things. They spend so much time under the thumbs of their teachers whose knee jerk reactions to any situation is to yell and perhaps humiliate the children. I'll share with you what happened this week.
When I arrive at my Marly school, there is usually a woman and sometimes a man who stand at the gate looking into the school yard. They don't look well to do; I assumed they were parents or grandparents of a student. Yesterday I arrived in time to see who they were escorting to school~it was my autistic student Sammy. Though all the other children were assembled into lines to enter the school, his parents lingered with him and both hugged him as if it would be a long time before they saw him again. Long after he's made his way across the blacktop to the front door and then up the stairs to his classroom with his personal teaching aid, his parents wait at the gate. This moment left such a strong impression on me.
Then there is Steven. He's at the other school in the third grade class. Though not a bad child or even a bad student, he constantly interrupts class with strange comments and behavior. I spent some time talking to his teacher about him; I can tell she really feels overwhelmed with him sometimes. She's met with his mother before to try and get some support from his home, but his mother is preoccupied with other things. She is married to a man who isn't Steven's father; this man has two children of his own. Steven's big brother has serious behavioral problems and goes to a school for juvenile delinquents. At home Steven spends all his time in his room watching television or playing video games and rarely interacts with his family. Sometimes at night he wakes up and plays video games until it's time to wake up for school. He comes to school completely exhausted and unprepared to learn (little less interact well with his peers). I haven't thought of a good way to care for him (with the exception of prayer).
Enzo...I love Enzo (or as his friends call him "Zozo"). He has these tremendous ups and downs. Some days he's into English and participates a good bit. Other days, I practically have to arm wrestle him to get his notebook out and write the date and a sentence about the weather. I couldn't find a good explanation for his behavior; there really aren't other students who are so unpredictable. It all became clear when we started studying families this week. I would ask the class to raise their hand if they had 1 sister or 3 brothers. Then I posed the question, "Does anyone have a baby in the family?" Enzo raised his hand. How many babies, Enzo? 3! Three babies... his mom just had triplets and now Enzo acts out in school every now and then for a bit of attention. It would have been good to know this about him sooner.
Because I receive so many nice drawings and things from my students, I try to reciprocate. Thibault asked if I would give him a picture of a cat and dog to color. That's definitely an easy request to fulfill. I held hands with Heloise in the hall way and twirled her like we were dancing. I let Ugo teach his class a funny dance move to a song we were learning to sing. Deborah and Yeliz stay inside with me instead of going out in the cold for recess and tell me about wanting to go to the U.S. to meet Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and Justin Beiber. Bilal demonstrates his Michael Jackson inspired Moonwalk. Julian, Edgar, and Auriana show me treasures they've found in English, and we have impromptu show and tell. Guidelande impresses me with conjugations she's learning in her free time. I wish I had more time to listen to them and encourage them.
My favorite class I taught this week was on animals with my third graders. I decided to teach them the song
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly. I don't know what songs they teach children here, but there must not be very much nonsense or whimsy in them. Of course if you can't recall this charming song, it's all about a woman who accidentally swallows a fly, and from there she swallows a spider to catch the fly. Each time she swallows an animal, she must swallow another to catch the last. So she consumes (in order) a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, cow, and horse. Then she expires. Some of the children loved it while others were horrified. Mateo asked if it really happened. Then he asked if women could really swallow dogs whole. From this moment forward, I am determined to present more songs and stories that get their little imaginations working. Times a-wasting and childhood is too short not to indulge in fictional fun. It's supposed to be magical and filled with belief in the impossible. Though perhaps in my next lessons, I'll try to find some material where no one dies...
Though these interactions with the little ones doesn't explicitly communicated Christ's love for each and every one of them, I believe that God's Spirit is at work behind the scenes. Perhaps one day when they are big, it'll occur to them that they once new a nice American teacher and decide it would be nice to travel to the U.S. From there they happen to meet a Christian or get involved in a church or something. I think of my friend Arnaud; he's a Frenchman I met on a mission trip to build houses in Mexico. As a student at Georgia Tech, he got involved at CCF and made many Christian friends before moving home to France. Maybe one of my students will grow up and experience something like he did. I certainly pray that my time with my students honors God and that they would grow up knowing a love that surpasses understanding.
Arnaud and me in New Orleans
Livin' large and eating steak at Cattleman's
Arnaud and friends at the Alamo...For some reason Wakefield has a balloon hat...peculiar. I also was really into making that super dorky face at the time (see the last picture also).
