Portes-Ouvertes

2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a Saturday working at the high school where I am an assistant at their annual Open House. Along with the other English teachers that I work with, 2 of my best students joined me to sit behind a table covered with posters my sophomore students had made during a  unit on American Prom and answer questions from prospective students (middle-schoolers) and their parents about what, exactly, the language assistant does!

The students were a big help in answering questions about the exchange programs to Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia that are organized by the high school and which they have had the opportunity to go on, and I had a blast explaining my role as language assistant to parents! 

Graduation, French-style

On Friday night I had the opportunity to attend la remise des diplômes , or a graduation ceremony. There are several differences between high school graduations in the USA and France, the most obvious one would be that this graduation was help in early November while most high school graduations in the US are held in mid to late June, when the school year ends.

I was invited to the ceremony by my contact teacher, and it was a fascinating cultural experience. The graduation was held in the high school itself, in an area of the school I had never been before- sort of a multipurpose conference room\ kitchen. This sort of ceremony is brand new to Lycée Arbez Carme: until this year students received their high school diplomas on a Saturday morning without any fanfare or ceremony. This year the administration decided to fancy up the occasion and hold it on a Friday evening, inviting families and the faculty.

the ceremony