The Teachers Strike Again

I can't believe it's the weekend again already.

This week was way out of order for me. Monday I normally would have had three classes. One got moved to Fridays, so I didn't have that class. And my afternoon class was taking an exam, and I didn't need to go. So I started the day with one class and had no other obligations for the day. That afternoon, I was informed that I need not come to school the next day because all the English teachers would be on strike. Normally I would have had four classes, but that switched to zero. (right after I'd made a ton of copies for the classes. What a waste of paper!)

Wednesday I went to Vesoul with Kaitlin and Mario. It was about a 20-30 minute drive. Vesoul is the capital of Haute-Saône, the department that Lure is in. (Departments are kind of like the equivalent of counties in the US. Regions are the equivalent of states. The region I live in of Franche-Comté has four departments, and Haute-Saône is one of them.) It was a lot smaller than I expected, but then again, we were only in the city center. Apparently it goes on and on and on for a long time. Afterall, it is the capital.

That day was the second day of Vesoul's Festival International des Cinémas d'Asie, the International Asian Film Festival. We thought it would be a good time to go to Vesoul since this festival is something they do every year. Throughout the eight days of the festival, they play 90 (I think) Asian films, open to anyone. I was expecting some kind of awesome Asian cultural thing to be going on, but it really was just the cinema. Playing Asian films. But let's back up...

We found a cinema near the center of Vesoul where we figured they must be playing the films. The only door that was unlocked was in the back. So we went in, confused, and asked a woman where the proper cinema is. She told us it was far, that we'd have to drive there, and that it is near the hospital and a McDonald's. Okay. So we went back to the car and punched that and the address we had for it into Mario's trusty GPS. No luck. Couldn't find it. Well actually, everything it found said the theater was like 200 meters away from where we were. So knew that couldn't be right since the woman told us we'd have to drive. We found a phone number in the pamphlet, and Kaitlin bravely called it, something I'm always terrified of doing in France. She was given some other landmarks near the cinema, and we were able to find the way using those landmarks with the GPS. Phew! Good thing we didn't take the train. We never would have found the place.

We were a bit early, but since we weren't around anything worth seeing or doing, we went to McDonald's for lunch. It worked perfectly, because ever since I heard an ice cream sundae mentioned on Full House (which I'll be done with by tonight for good), I'd been craving one. It was great. And it was nice to be in a McDonald's and not worry about answering as many emails as I could and making travel arrangements as fast as I could before my computer battery died.

We saw the movie La fiancée syrienne, or in English, The Syrian Bride. I think it was actually a movie in English to begin with, because the title and credits and everything were in English. But since it took place in Israel, most of the spoken language was not English. So it was actually better for me than if it had been in French because it was subtitled in French, and it's easier for me to read French than listen to it, in the case of a movie. It was a rather engaging movie. This woman was to marry a man she'd never met and cross the border into Syria. Once she crossed the border, she'd lose her identity, have to get a new Syrian itdentity, and would never see her family again because she could never go back. I won't blow the ending, because I'm sure you all are now dying to go rent it. But I'll just say the ending was a disappointment. It was almost two hours of intense perparation for this wedding, and then, well... It could have been a twenty minute movie. Don't know why they dragged it out that long.

Then there was yesterday. Yesterday was kind of a blast. In three of my five classes, I did a lesson using conversation hearts (which I only had pictures of) and had the students write their own letters using heart messages I gave them. It was kind of funny to hear them read them out loud. 18 year old boys reading, "To my honey bun, You are such a cutie pie and my top dog. I love when you Tweet me and say to me, 'Be mine.'" I enjoyed it a lot, and they all did a great job. In one class, I'd written "give me sweet talk" on the board to show the students what goes with "sweet talk." Before leaving after class, the teacher erased the board, but didn't erase that very well. I almost walked out, but not before I turned and realized it was still very visible.  How funny would it be for another English teacher to walk in there and read, "Give me sweet talk" before class? Ha!

In another class we watched a movie, and in another only one student showed up, so we sat in with another class that was watching Bowling for Columbine. Fine with me! The reason only one kid showed up is because of the strikes. If teachers are on strike, often the students don't even come to school because they just assume there won't be any lessons. During my day, I was invited by one of the English teachers to come back to school that night and have drinks with a bunch of the teachers. She informed me that they would be sleeping in school that night. I stopped and looked at her blankly and asked her to tell me again. Really? You're sleeping at school?! Yes, they really did it! I told her about that book called My Teacher Sleeps in School. This was the story of that book coing to life.



I went to the front of the school around 8:30. Knocked on the windows, and nobody heard me. (I couldn't get in through the regular door ro the school. Of course it's locked.) Luckily, the principal just happened to be walking by on the sidewalk. I asked him if he had a way for me to get in and explained why. He walked me to the back of the building, and on the way, I asked if he supports the strike. He said something along the lines of, "Well, my job doesn't allow me to say whether or not I agree with it, but if I were really against it, I wouldn't let this happen tonight." Ha! Okay so he agrees with all these teachers. He came in with me actually, which I didn't think he'd do. It was just so funny to see all these grown adults basically having a huge sleepover in school, and the principal, who isn't supposed to support them, was there too!

  

There were probably thirty or so teachers there. Some were parents of students, some were teachers, some were administration. But in all, I'd estimate about 30. The mayor of Lure, who also works at Georges Colomb, showed up after a while. It was so fun to just see the whole thing play out. I'm telling you, these teachers really know how to go on strike! There was food and dessert and lots and lots of wine. I've said before that if I were French (and have grown up going to French schools), I'm no sure I'd have wanted to become a teacher because the school environment is so different from a school at home. But after seeing this, I'm changing my mind. This is one tradition that US teachers should adopt. Not necessarily striking, but partying in school, after hours. :)



 

The teachers wore these yellow vests around all day. It was awesome. (Many more did, too, who didn't stay for the sleepover.)

I talked with a philosophy teacher. Told him the only philosopher I can name off the top of my head is René Descartes, who said, "Je pense, donc je suis." He smiled and said I was right. Proof that I DID learn something in my French history classes in college! I may or may not start going to his classes, just for the fun of it.

A couple of the people there were pretty darn drunk, doing summersaults (sp?) on top of mattresses that weren't finished being pumped with air, bouncing up and down on mattresses with three or four people already on it. It was quite hilarious. Most people weren't too crazy though. Two of the English teachershad their eyes glued to an English joke book. It was funny to watch them crack up every once in a while. And I saw more than one Frenchman in his underwear. Changing into pajamas. That's France for you. So weird, watching teachers sprawl out little beds all over the teacher's lounge. There were even tents pitched outside the front of the school. No one slept in them, but it was just to make a statement. I stayed until it was basiclaly lights out. This was the most excitement I've seen in Lure. Ever.

Today is a beautiful day. In fact, it's absolutely gorgeous. I went outside without a jacket. And for a while I was sitting in my room with a tank top on and my window wide open. I think Spring is springing.