École Maternelle...

My "host mother" invited me to join her at the school where she was working today.  The class consisted of twenty-six 5-year olds...little French babies...they were adorable!  I joined her after lunch because I'm still dealing with jet-lag and there was no way I would have been ready for the first part of the morning!

(School begins at 830am with a break for lunch from about 1145-115pm, then the afternoon lasts until 430pm.  Definitely longer than the average US school day, but preschool/primary school-age children don't go to school on Wednesdays (or Saturdays, like some of the older French students) - I'm sure it all evens out in the end!)

I was welcomed with open arms (literally) and given many pecks on the cheek from the little ones!  They don't refer to their teachers by titles, such as Madame/Mademoiselle (like I thought they would)  Everyone is called "maîtresse"...similar to being called "teacher" all day long...but it sounds somewhat sweeter here because their little French voices are priceless!  (My host mother said that the French feel the same way about hearing American children speak English!)

These children are younger than the ones that I will be working with, but it was still such a treat to spend the afternoon in a school so soon after my arrival!  After the jump, you will find some pictures from my first day in a French school...

Classroom for la grande section (5-year olds)...

Chalkboard and Alphabet (not Handwriting Without Tears, mind you!)

26 Petites Souris Vont à l'École (26 Little Mice Going to School)

  

They made sketches of what they wanted to paint beforehand...rainbows were an extremely popular choice!

Look at that smirk!  This was right before he drew on his face and then his neighbor's sleeve.  He ending up spending a little time separated from the group...oh la la!

Un arc en ciel...

More rainbows...

My host mother and I read these in tandem, each reading one page at a time...

One of the other teachers uses music from around the world in her classroom, and she thought it would be a great idea for me to teach them a song in English...They loved Old MacDonald!!!

All in all, a fabulous afternoon!

E-I-E-I-O  ♥