It's day 5 now and all is going well. We've had a pretty hectic schedule and long days of exploration, so today I let everyone sleep in, especially since they'll be getting up early for their "stages" that begin bright and early tomorrow morning! While they slept, I snuck out and explored our new "quartier" which is close to Montmartre. I had a large bowl of café au lait on the rue des Abbesses, a charming street at the foot of Montmartre. We were going to explore the area together, but ended up having brunch with Francesco Mennillo and his family, then watched Italy vs. New Zealand together. Needless to say, we were all disappointed that Italy didn't have a definitive win!
We've had lots of cultural excursions and exploring of the city. Andrew, Mack, Sophie & Linnie have all been eager to discover new places. I can see that they are really getting their bearings about them and are getting to know the city. Andrew has been a great guide for them and has taken them off to do some exploring of their own. They are all excited about beginning their internships tomorrow. Tonight we discussed what they could do to make the most of their internships - they all agreed that they need to be fully engaged, take risks with the language and ask questions. I suggested that they pay attention to expressions they hear and ask about them and also write them down. I've noticed a couple of expressions myself that have crept into the language in the past two year. I explained the expressions to them tonight - "prochainement" (coming soon) and "à l'étage" (upstairs) - two expressions that I keep coming across. They had each noticed those expressions, too, either in billboard advertising (Apple Store, ouverture prochainement) or Linnie even had a sales clerk use "à l'étage" with her. They've already been showing that they aren't afraid to take risks when they talk and I think they've all had several moments of pride when they've completed a conversation in French! As their teacher, I love seeing these moments and the ensuing excitement and confidence!
What a great group of students to be with! I'm looking forward to their week at work and know they'll each do a fantastic job! They've been brainstorming about their project and have decided to collaborate. More about that as the details emerge once they begin work - they've got some interesting ideas that will show a common thread in all their internships. While they're at work, I'll spend my time stopping by the internships to take photos, so stay tuned to see each of them in action!
The Global Cultural Initiatives Program (GCIP), an innovative program for St. George's students, is a student-centered learning process placed in the context of an international work experience. The program promotes the growth of independent initiative, problem solving, collaboration and information sharing.
What an outstanding idea, blogging about your adventures, life experiences and internships. It's wonderful to read how all those classroom hours have made a difference. We are wishing you all tremendous success. Be your best, make a difference...Remember, you are Dragons !
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