jenna's paris journal: Assistante de Langue Anglais

My teaching career has come to a close. This past Thursday was my last day, and I am sad to be leaving Lycée Sonia Delaunay. I was just beginning to get to know my students and the other professors really well, and I will not forget them or my time here!

Some things I have learned teaching in France...

PREPARE and ADAPT. Come prepared for the worst. Some students don't care, won't try, and give you a hard time. On the flip side, some students really want to learn and teach you more than you could ever teach them. BUT they can always tell if you are unprepared for a lesson or when a lesson doesn't go as planned. I have learned to go with the flow and with what works best.

BE PATIENT. I can't make these students improve their English, but I can be patient and encouraging and hope for the best.

FORGET STEREOTYPES. The French do NOT hate Americans... actually most love them. TV shows, movies, music, clothes, the American teenager lifestyle... some of my students know more about American pop culture than I do, and most of them would jump at the chance to visit the good old U.S. of A.

INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS. It was hard making friends with the other teachers at first, but over time I have found that they are really caring and loving towards their coworkers and genuinely are interested in each others lives. I was able to get to know one teacher especially well because I tutored him in English every week. I am very lucky to have had the chance to get to know him and hear his opinion and perspective on so many things.

HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE. Come ready to present the best lesson you can. My job wasn't just about me, I had to lead 6 classes every day and keep the students interested and involved. It can be exhausting, but I want them to remember me as a teacher who really cared about every single student.

BE HUMBLE. Some of the terminale (aka senior) students spoke better English than I do and are very intelligent and informed about the world. Again, I feel like I learned more from them. I learned to do the best I could to help them speak English and learn about American culture. Also, no student wants to have a condescending teacher with a superiority complex. I tried my best to make my classroom a place where my students and I could learn from each other.

I can't imagine having done anything else this past year after college. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity and have learned an incredible amount not only working at my first job, but being an unexperienced teacher in a foreign country. I recommend this job and opportunity to anyone who would be willing to move abroad for a year and challenge themselves in a new way.