Back in the Saddle

After a three-year hiatus I am once again teaching French.

You know the old teacherly saying, “It seems like the students are getting younger every year?”

Well, in my case, it’s true. These are the youngest students I have ever taught. They don’t remember 9/11. They don’t know who Michael Jackson was. They definitely don’t get my jokes. Most of them can’t read or write. And yet these are probably the sharpest, funniest, and most enthusiastic students I’ve ever encountered.

And they’re between the ages of 3 and 5.

This is my “French for preschoolers/homeschoolers” class, lately dubbed “Allons-y les petits.” We’ve met a couple of times now. Class is about 30 minutes long, takes place in our trop petit living room, and for now involves a lot of singing and silliness. One of the highlights for me is Sam’s enjoyment and participation. She considers herself one of the “teachers” of the class, which means that she’ll model certain expressions AND admonish me for sitting on the wrong pillow or for singing the songs out of order. It’s like having a very erratic teaching supervisor attend every class.

But really, it’s all good. I went into this knowing that it was an experiment, since I’ve never taught such little people before. And the little people have no idea how much I’m learning. Mostly I’m learning just how different preschoolers are from college students. Some key points of distinction:

1. Preschoolers don’t hesitate to sing a song whose words and language they don’t understand. There is NO hesitation. College students, on the other hand, tend to evaporate when music or singing of any kind entered my classroom. Even Frère Jacques would make them disappear, sinking into the camouflage of desks and ball caps.

2. Preschoolers have a lot of energy. Mon Dieu! Or should I say, “Duh?” Getting them to sit down after they’ve been jumping up and down like little lapins… not so easy. That’s something I’m REALLY not used to. As a college professor I was forever making my students get up out of their seats and when it was time for them to return, they fluttered back down gratefully, sighing, as though crawling back into still warm sheets.

3. But if preschoolers don’t want to talk or don’t want to participate, then by golly they just don’t. Now, this may seem a point of similitude with some college students, but because they were going to receive a grade in the class, even the most reluctant college student would speak up occasionally. Either that or peer pressure/fear of embarrassment would loosen their tongues (and just as often their eyes– how many times was “Bonjour, Madame” accompanied by arching eye rolls?)

I love how authentic and honest these little French learners are. If they want to talk and sing and dance, then they do. If they don’t, they don’t. And I love that there are no grades to give!

This may be my best teaching gig ever.

If only they’d get my jokes… but come to think of it, my college students never got them either. Plus ca change, plus c’est la même chose…