Students struggled with virtual school last year. It was tough, as I observed my daughters charge down the stairs to make ramen noodles for lunch on a quick break and then charge back up to their rooms, slamming their doors. It was was just plain and gritty tough for many students because it required a certain kind of self-focus that so many students have to learn to acquire over time. Even the most agile learners had it tough. But the schools are opening and we are moving onto a new challenge. What will it be like? Masks? A hybrid mix of Zoom and in-class? Will the Delta Variant shut down the schools again? One thing is certain. The spread of the virus needs to be stopped. If a person is not vaccinated, they are risking spreading the virus. But uncertainty can also build resilience in a child. Taking a positive approach, even in the most uncertain times, means admitting “I don’t know.” But the next step is to say, “So let’s prepare for different situations.”
One technique is to start talking positively about school. It’s so easy talk negatively. “Oh, that Ms. Sheldeheimer, the chemistry teacher, made us do those experiments with silver nitrate and then graded us in lab technique by how many black specks we had on our fingers from handling the stuff.” And Mr. Nargile, the French teacher, barked bigger than he bit. But I bring on the “Remember whens…” Remenber when your French teacher had you all say at least one sentence in a French dialogue and you were so nervous? But you did fine. Remember when a student mixed English with French to invent a word and Mdm Serpentin laughed? The word was “saussages” (sausages and saucissons). Remember when you had that test and you were tired from the other tests and had to go in cold to write that essay in French? That was a near failure, but you got the “A. “
A new year is an opportunity - to try new things, start over, do better, find new friends, find a new hobby, join a club, reconnect with an old hobby, see old friends, find favorite teachers, or develop better habits. One habit that is important is getting good sleep. Cut down on the coffee. Start setting the alarm clock 15 minutes earlier so that in one month you will be ready to get up at 7:00 a.m. or earlier with confidence. That first month will go more easily. Start scheduling things on a timer to get used to working in blocks of time. Napoleon was brilliant in that way. He didn’t need an alarm clock to compartmentalize his work. Just before going into a battle that he won, he wrote out a plan for a school for girls and had it sent off. Keep up the recreation like walking, biking, swimming or play a recreational sport.
For French class, start pulling out last year’s textbook and look at pictures of words to do a picture walk. See if you can pronounce the words. Listen to French music. Start listening to French language tapes - start with really easy ones and then work your way up. You’ll get an idea where you are. Just do something each day. Start going to the library and looking up books on subjects that are interesting. French cartoon books are interesting because they have pictures near the language and you can sort of figure out what’s going on.
Get a schedule and calendar, either online or both and start putting in the courses you’ve signed up for. Start listening to French language tapes. Start with the easy ones and see how easy it is for you. Then work up.
Pull out clothes from your closet and try them on. Are they too small? Get a few new shirts and pants, if you can afford it. Otherwise, try to see what fits and go with those things until you can get new clothes. The important thing is to figure out a strategy that works for you.
Now get honest. Think about what worked well and what didn’t work well last year. What would you do differently? Would you figure out when the tests are, then walk back the few days before and the weeks before to chunk out the work? What drove you crazy? What did you really like? Was it that French project where you had to travel to another planet and discover something and describe it? When did you panic? When did you have confidence? Be REALLY HONEST!
Ask yourself: What would I have done differently?
Then set some goals. Don’t commit. Then wait a week and read the goals. Then commit.
Can you remember these words?
Un cahier — a notebook
Un crayon — a pencil
Un stylo — a pen
Expressions:
Je suis en retard. - I am late.
Je suis à l’heure. I am on time. Sois à l’heure. Soyez à l’heure. — Be on time.
J’aime mon cours de français. — I like my French class.
Je ne sais pas ce que je veux étudier, mais je sais que j’aime étudier le français. — I don’t know what I want to study, but I know that I like to study French.
Allons-y! À la Rentrée!