Our school...
Thanks everyone for all the blogosphere praise...to make it on the bookmark favorite bar of so many dear ones, well, I have arrived. I owe it to my readership to keep a better post schedule as I see you've been stuck with Mr. Rogers' voice in your head for far too long!
Our Derija class. What is it called when you study a foreign language that is explained in another foreign language? I know I'm teaching a methodology course this semester, but the term escapes me. Something about Dual Brain Explosionapedia....it feels like we are immigrants in a dual language immersion school. At least as regular immigrants American-style we would be taught solely in the target language, left to flail in only one new language! As I mentioned, all of our classmates are French, so they fire off frenchy questions and the teacher explains or confirms in equal rapid fire. The teacher asked me to explain as I could to Ry, who is getting good French practice, but is also getting a little lazy as he noticed my notes were both legible and organized, and stopped taking his own. (If he thinks he is copying mine...)
It is still good language fun, but mentally tiring...I had a weird, not deja-vu experience, but the feeling of experiencing something you've only witnessed many times. After an hour + or so into the class, blood-sugar waning, finished with all the objectives on the hand-out, I had a feeling class was nearly over. Then the teacher asked us to flip the page where another full side of exercises awaited us. THAT is when I had the same feeling and expression I've seen from my own students for years....the, WAIT!...oh, there's more reaction.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings...
In other news, we've been holed up gearing up for classes. Still some delays with classes commencing, but I think we are finally on for this Friday...unless plans change. Ry will be teaching a Post-Colonial Literature class to Master's students, so he has had to prepare at Mach-10 because the students have 'already read' the texts. We've set up shop in the 'blue room' where we can see some beautiful views from our gilded cage.