@SARAH GRICE
@DATA TYPE: RETROSPECTIVE
@LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
@COUNTRY: FRANCE
@PARTICIPANTS: S 
@SETTING: PRIVATE
@TIME: LATE
@SCHOOL: SECONDARY

Reflecting on live recording

Having listened to my recording again and read my written tmoignage in response to it, I am still extremely satisfied with the outcome.  She assured me that she'd speak to them and I know that she did now, because they are much more respectful of my position and authority as an assistant.  As it happens they are one of my best classes in terms of both level of English and general behaviour and I think this was a slightly isolated incident.

Reflecting on relationship with responsable

I was right to have confidence in Julia that she would help me again should anything else crop up.  Having approached her this first time and had such a positive reaction, I would find it easy and be very comfortable to go to her again without feeling like I was making a mountain out of a molehill so to speak.  So I think how she reacted was extremely important as to how I regarded her in terms of future approachability.  From the very beginning though, as I mentioned, she made it easy for me to say something because she always asks how the lesson went, with genuine interest.

My confidence in her proved true when a few weeks ago a couple of boys in the same class were messing around and not really participating.  They are perhaps two of the most intelligent in the class and I mentioned it to her for two reasons.  Firstly I thought it was a shame for them not to profit as much as I knew they could and they were also disturbing others from concentrating who don't find it as easy as them.  I can see a huge difference since she spoke to them about it - they actually came up to me and said sorry and that they've decided that they're going to work from now on.

She has been a great help both on a responsable level in school and as a friend for any needs I have outside school.  We always walk to the mtro together and sometimes chat on the phone - we exchange personal information which makes me feel like it is a balanced friendship as opposed to a responsable asking vague questions to appear interested in their assistant's life outside of school.  She was even very excited when my boyfriend came out and insisted that we all go for a drink one day after school - it was so great to have two people from different 'parts of my life' meet and finally know who it was that I kept talking to them about!





Transactional

Timetables

Pierre de Ronsard: Was fixed up instantly.  When I got there they knew exactly what classes they wanted me to teach, which classrooms I'd be using etc.
Boris Vian:  They weren't sure for at least a couple of weeks where exactly they wanted me to be and with which classes.  They also changed my timetable after Christmas which I found slightly disruptive.

Examinations

Pierre de Ronsard:  I was told at the beginning that the troisime had an exam called the PET which I'd have to help prepare the pupils for.
Boris Vian:  I have no necessary preparation to do with the pupils in terms of exams.

Language

Pierre de Ronsard:  Here, both my classes are les classes europenne so I'd been told to speak in English at all times to the extent that I should explain things another way in English as opposed to French if there's something pupils don't understand.  I had to use more French in the club because they're only cinquime.
Boris Vian:  With the older pupils I try to use mainly English but the level of English is lower than the other school and often I need to repeat things in French.

Discipline

Pierre de Ronsard and Boris Vian:  Both schools made it clear that I could take kinds' names down etc should they misbehave.  They also explained that I shouldn't have to deal with discipline problems specifically and that I had all their support in any matter of discipline.  My one major problem was with two pupils who had a fist fight but as explained in my logbook, it was dealt with accordingly and the pupils were permanently removed from my class and suspended (Boris Vian).

Interpersonal

Freedom

Pierre de Ronsard:  Apart from the PET which I have to dedicate a certain number of weeks, I am free to do pretty much whatever I like with the pupils but there's always the help there if I need anything such as resources etc.
Boris Vian:  Half my classes I can do what I want but there are a couple of teachers who give me half the class but prepare the work for us to do - so in effect I have a more formal 'teacher' role as opposed to an assistant.  I find this slightly difficult because I don't feel the pupils are fully profiting from my being there for two reasons:  firstly the pupils don't get taught the syllabus by a qualified teacher but they also don't benefit from having a language assistant in terms of conversing etc with a native speaker.

Out of School Activities

Pierre de Ronsard:  I went on two theatre trips which I really enjoyed because I got the chance to see the pupils outside of the classroom.  It felt great to be included and invited on these trips.   I also got invited to go to London with them but unfortunately my contract will have finished by then as the trip isn't until May.
Boris Vian:  I was asked to go on a school trip to see a Beatles tribute band but unfortunately it was a Friday night and because of Sabbath I couldn't go.  However, it was still lovely to be asked.

Interest in Social Life

Pierre de Ronsard:  Been invited out with teachers etc and as mentioned earlier went for a drink with Julia and my boyfriend.
Boris Vian:  Been to dinner and out for a drink a few times with most of the teachers here.

Development of Relationship

In both schools I thought that all the teachers I work with are really lovely and all of them gave me their contact details etc.  I don't really have a specific responsable - I kind of have six because all of my teachers look out for me.

Change over time

Pierre de Ronsard:  In both cases my initial impressions of them have proved to be true.  Our relationship has changed over time from purely work related to social out of school friendships.  This has occurred most perhaps with Julia Grinsnir who seemed to take a liking to me from the very beginning and took on a very motherly, looking after me kind of role.

I feel that my logbook is accurate.  My personal relationship with the teachers has been a very natural and easy progression.  It has basically developed incredibly well, in terms of the more we all got to know each other, the more friendly and informal the friendships became.  There were no nasty surprises!

I'm not sure that my involvement with the PIC project affected my relationship with them at all.  Neither seemed to know that much about it, I think perhaps if I'd have had a bad relationship with them and they'd known about the PIC project then that could've helped to improve a relationship, if they think that you're recording everything they're doing.  However, personally I'm not sure it made a great difference.

Reflecting on Assistantship Experience

a)  preparation before departure

It would have been better (though I'm not sure if it's possible) to get your arrt de nomination a little earlier.  This would have enabled us to contact the schools earlier and perhaps had a response from them earlier too because it would have been before summer school holidays.

More information and practical advice about hands on teaching could've been given.  I was lucky that I had such helpful teachers and lots of past experience with working with kids but even so there were times when it would have been nice to have a supply of resources to use as opposed to having to search the Internet for hours.

b)  allocation process

I'm not sure how deliberate it was but I was extremely lucky with mine.  One thing I was worried about before my arrival in France was taking time off for Jewish holidays.  It almost seems like my request and needs were considered when allocating my schools because I have ended up in a highly Jewish populated area, where in one school at least a third of the pupils and some of the teachers are Jewish and a fair number in the other school.  If this was purely coincidental, then I've been extremely lucky!

c)  contact with school

I wrote to my schools as soon as I knew who they were, both in letter and email form.  I never got a reply.  Then it was summer holidays so I heard nothing and could do nothing for ages.  It then took me a while to find their phone numbers because the one on the Acadmie website was wrong and the other wasn't there.  I eventually got hold of them mid-September and arranged to meet them all at the schools, a week before I started work as I would be out in Paris a week early to look for accommodation.  I understand that it's our responsibility to contact the schools but at the same time it's in their interest too to put themselves in contact with us.

d)  integrating into school life

My integration into school life was easy in both schools, though perhaps slightly easier at Pierre de Ronsard because of my timetable and thus my routine was fixed from an earlier date. Also at Pierre de Ronsard the other teachers, not only the English teachers, were introduced to me so that I became very comfortable very quickly in the staffroom.  This was very important to me because there are times when I have an hour or so free and the English teachers that I already knew weren't around.  Being 'slightly' extrovert, I probably would've approached these teachers anyway but I appreciated that this was made easier because the ice had already been broken.



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