Wordly learning

As another school year draws to a close, so does the first year of an opportunity for some select Ville Platte Elementary students to learn more about the world around them while speaking another language.
The French Immersion program at Ville Platte Elementary is being taught by Louise Tini and Catherine Sabiron. Both experienced challenges in getting started with the program, and their different teaching backgrounds caused them to adjust differently to their new setting.
“It’s odd because the way to teach here is very different from my way to teach, and I have to teach in French,” said Sabiron. “At first, the students didn’t understand anything. I didn’t know the rules and the direction, so I was lost. I think next year will be easier because now I know the way to teach here and the rules and direction they have to follow. If I stay more years, it will be easier and easier.”
She added, “I think the difference is here you have to teach mathematics, ELA, and social studies, but, in France, I taught music, painting, physical education, and mathematics. We had more time to play. It was more relaxed, but here is very strict and more disciplined. The students don’t have time to play, don’t have time to paint, or to do something with their hands.”
According to Sabiron, the relaxed teaching style in France is synonymous to the relaxed atmosphere of the region. She added what a normal day is like teaching in France. “We work from 9:00 to noon, and then we eat and have two hours for the children to play or rest,” she said. “We return back to school from 2:00 until 4:30. We have more breaks and more holidays. We have 15 days in November, December, February, and April and two months in the summer. Some schools don’t work on Wednesdays, and some schools don’t work on Wednesday afternoons. It’s more relaxed in France.”
For Tini, she said that the adjustment was easier because she had been in the United States for the previous 14 years. The native of the African country of Niger also said that the way to teach in Africa is more similar to teaching in France than in the United States because “France went to Africa and brought with them the way to teach in France.” She added, “When African people come here, it’s hard for them because it’s different here.”
Tini described her native Niger as being a place with different landscapes, but she said that the majority of the country is located in the Sahara Desert. The landscape is also cluttered with wild animals such as gazelles, giraffes, and water buffalo. The biggest difference, for her, is that the wild animals here are found in zoos. She also explained that Niger is home to many different ethnic groups that can be distinguished by the way that they dress.
Sabiron; however, came here to Ville Platte from the Loire region of France that is near the Atlantic Ocean. She explained that she lives two or three hours southwest of Paris. “I live near the sea, and there are little hills and forests. It’s a rural part of France where there are a lot of farmers who have cows and produce milk. The farms in France are smaller than over here.”
While in France, she enjoys the relaxed lifestyle. “I like going to the cinema with my friends, and I like being with my family,” Sabiron stated. “I like the Classical concerts and the Rock concerts, and I like walking through the countryside. It’s very different here because here you take your car and there are no sidewalks here in Ville Platte. But, in France, there are always sidewalks.”
While the lack of sidewalks is different for her, what is similar is the way in which we celebrate Easter. “We celebrate Easter like you,” Sabiron explained. “We go to mass, and then we eat with our family. It’s a family feast. When we are children, we can look for the eggs, and parents hide the eggs in the garden. We eat chocolate eggs and have little chocolate rabbits like here.”
A glaring difference in the Easter celebrations is that, in France, they do not pacque eggs.
Sabiron also explained that, like here, the French people can be white or black. “The French people are mainly white, but a lot of strangers came to France from Morocco, Algeria, and the rest of Africa,” she said.
While settling in her new confines of Ville Platte, Sabiron likes the Cajun food and the landscape. “I like the bayous, and I go often to Chicot Park where I can see birds and animals. I also like the people. The people are very kind and very helpful. When I need something, I ask them and they try to help me. They do their best for you, so I like this.”
Sabiron concluded with her thoughts on the successes of the first year of the French Immersion program at Ville Platte Elementary. “I think it’s a good idea because the children can speak another language and can communicate with other children,” she expressed. “We had Skpe with my old school, and they communicated. I think it opened their minds. I think French Immersion is a good thing because there’s Louisiana in the United States, but there’s also a world. They can learn about the world and the story here with the French language. They have grandparents who speak French, so to have relations with history is a good thing.”