Brenda's Blog

Well, here it is, the last week of our amazing month in Saint Raphael, on the Leonardo Project, teaching English.

Today was a perfect Sunday, 27 May 2012, clear blue sky and hot swimming weather…but not to get too carried away, because the best part, definitely, was the valuable opportunity to put into practice all the skills, tips, and experiences we had during our week of training in Denbigh, Wales, in April.

I especially was happy to be selected for this Project, because, after doing my CELTA last Spring, I managed two weeks teaching Summer School in London, but was definitely aware that my CELTA training had not remotely prepared me or given me confidence in doing project work with teenagers, which came after the morning grammar based lessons. Luckily, I had researched ideas a lot on the internet, and had personal experience having kids of my own, so I successfully managed to somehow get through it.

However I noticed other teachers definitely were organized with material which lasted over several days, really good ideas, which I wanted to find out more about. These were the magic ingredients that came through during our training with Michael Hudson, in Wales, and I now feel equipped to enjoy my time at summer school this year, (and any other Young Learners, challenges that may pop up teaching elsewhere)

I was also lucky to teach kids in Spain for a week last winter, and was fascinated to see five year olds being taught English really successfully. Again, I was eager to find out more, about how to approach this aspect of teaching……..which the Leonardo Project addressed.  Our training in Wales with Carol and Jackie really focused in on the nuts and bolts of teaching Very Young Learners, and I’ve been using a lot of their suggestions, teaching at my Primary School.

But back to beautiful Saint Raphael:  Our school, called Stanislas Primary School, is located on a hillside, just outside of the town, a short bus ride away. I’ve really enjoyed the classes I’ve had, with 7/8 year old and 9/10 year old pupils. The opportunity to use the games and techniques we’d been taught in Wales was invaluable.

The organized tips to Nice and Saint Tropez were a huge success, and several of our group managed to enjoy time off Celebrity Spotting in Cannes, during the Festival!

Now that’s nearly over, it will be sad to say goodbye the kids I’ve taught, and I know I’ll miss their enthusiasm and warmth. But I have lots of their very unique drawings, including their attempts of drawing the British flag, as reminders of this special time I’ve had, here in France.

Brenda Barrett