(Pont en Royans)
School has gotten much too monotonous and tiring, and it's only the second month. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I like having a routine, but that routine usually involves movies, food, sleep, books, music, and so on and so forth. I'm not a fan of sitting in class for 8 hours a day focusing all my energy on not falling asleep. It's all too blah for my taste. When I have a free bell, I usually try to sneak out of the building to shop for chocolate or take a nap in some bizarre, empty park. However, now that the weather is finally starting to get a bit colder, I usually just go to the library and stare at pictures in magazines. Thank goodness vacation is just two days away!
The one part of school that I cannot stand is my French class. My teacher, whom I'm sure you've heard me mention before, M. Saint-Clair, and I happen to be in the middle of a feud/grudge that is fueled by our completely pure dislike for each other. I've even had my classmates come up to me after class and say how much he really hates me. Well, the feeling is mutual. Let me clarify:
This week, I had some classmates come up to me and ask me what I thought of M. Saint-Clair. I've never liked him ever since the first day of school where he singled me out in class and forced me to speak my pitiful French while everyone else laughed. So in response to their question - I told them that no, I didn't like him as a teacher, or for a matter of fact, as a person. They proceeded to tell me that during a class last week, he joked about me being stupid in front of the class because I didn't understand a lot of French. I had several people tell me that he was acting really mean to me. I was completely unaware of this situation until multiple classmates approached me (I must have been daydreaming, or sleeping, or something of the sort - cause, let's be honest here, that's my life 5 days out of the week). It's not like I was surprised or anything, and you can call me crazy, but I guess that I had expected a teacher to act a little more maturely. From that point on, I decided that I couldn't give him my respect if he went so out of his way to disrespect me.
Yesterday, I had M. Saint-Clair again. He was lecturing, but the only time I ever take notes is when the teachers write something on the blackboard. Alas - I spent most of the class making a quite impressive doodle that should belong in some museum of modern art. I honestly tried to listen to the lecture (what can I say - I'm a multi-tasker), and I wasn't disturbing the other students or anything, but when M. Saint-Clair saw me drawing, he decided to stop class and mock me for a while. He doodled on the blackboard because as he put it - since I was too stupid to understand French, maybe I could understand his pictures (which were much less impressive than mine). He really doesn't understand that I'm not in his class to study advanced French literature and receive good grades. I'm graduated. I'm going to college. He is not important to me, and if he spent the same amount of time teaching the other students and leaving me alone as he does mocking me every day, he might accomplish something as a teacher. He also made a point to make sure I understood the homework - which is to read a classic French novel called "Zoo de Vercors" over vacation. However, this book is challenging for students who speak French as their first language, but he was completely intent on me purchasing this book and finishing some 300 pages of difficult text over vacation. I'm positive that M. Saint-Claire knows this assignment is impossible for me, and when I don't do it, it'll be another reason for him to highlight my stupidity. Oh - what I would give to see M. Saint-Clair stumbling through an English class in America for a year! (Mrs. Marsh would teach him a thing or two!)
Today, I passed M. Saint-Clair in the hallway, and he made every effort to completely avoid me (even though we were the only people there). Maybe he doesn't like me because I don't suck up to him, or laugh at his jokes, or because I say comebacks after he mocks me. Whatever it is, I really don't care. I think this whole thing is petty and childish and unnecessary, and I think there are a lot more important things M. Saint-Clair could focus on than picking on the exchange student. Some people never seem to grow up. And although this blog has turned into one long rant, mostly because the rest of my week has been boringly average, I've decided to let none of this bother me. I know for a fact that I'm not stupid, and I've got all my friends and family at home, and even my host family in France that could back me up. For 5 hours a week, I can deal with M. Saint-Clair (with the help of a little attitude), and for the other 163 hours per week, I'm having the time of my life*!
Even though M. Saint-Clair is acting completely inappropriately and unprofessionally you do have to spend the rest of the year in his class. It would seem prudent to reach some type of agreement to stop feuding or things could even get worse. It would also show who the more mature person is. If he is not willing to stop verbally abusing you in class you may have to have the principal involved to put an end to it. You don't have to like each other but you he must stop public humiliation. I support you fully in resolving this.
ReplyDelete"Humiliation involves an event that demonstrates unequal power in a relationship where you are in the inferior position and unjustly diminished. Often the painful experience is vividly remembered for a long time. Your vindictive passions are aroused and a humiliated fury may result. There are three involved parties: 1) the perpetrator exercising power, 2) the victim who is shown powerless and therefore humiliated, and 3) the witness or observers to the event."
ReplyDelete-http://www.emotionalcompetency.com/humiliation.htm
Unfortunately, it seems that really bad teachers, or in this case, a really bad PERSON, seem to be a cultural norm. Resist any attempts to hit back with sarcastic comments; they will only feed his pathetic and damaged ego. You could try a little Rogerian reflection as in "It seems my actions seem to be upsetting you, and for that I apologize," but it is probably best to stay mum. Seek any further regress from others (Anne, principal, etc.)
ReplyDeleteLove you! Be a brave little toaster!
ReplyDeleteOK, now I am getting worked up. Perhaps you can tell M. Saint-Cluck that you MUST take after your grandfather who also never picked up perfect French despite his last visit to the northern beaches there shortly after, oh, when was it??? Oh yeah - D-DAY!!!
ReplyDeleteI say go to the principal - M. Saint-Clair could get you in trouble for talking back - so you should get him in trouble first. If you get the principal on your side, then you're golden :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you say he doesn't speak English, right? So when he mocks you, just stare him in the eye and speak quickly, authoritatively, and lawyer-like in English. For example:
"Heretoforth, I promulgate indubitably and succinctly, in terms as defined through and within my inveterate vernacular, that hereinbefore and hereinafter, the present parties be remitted the right to engage in and upon any further altercations, embroilments, or quarrels in the dominant tongue or idiom of their essentiality, as related to any instance in which the underivative and idiopathic purpose of the exchange be other than or in opposition to edification or education, to the contrary in any wise, notwithstanding.
AKA: If you get to argue with me in French, then I'll argue with you in English!
Then give him the Hawaiian stink eye.
Haha - sounds like a good plan. Maybe I've been exaggerating - my version of having a comeback is holding my ground and rolling my eyes when he says something mean. He's got nothing on me! I've already planned to go to the principal with Anne tomorrow. Don't worry - worst that could happen is I could be taken out of French for the year!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Gigi, did you come up with that speech yourself? I'm rather impressed - maybe my English isn't as good as I thought it was considering I had no idea what it was saying until the AKA part!
ReplyDeleteSi tu veux je peux lui parler et lui dire d'arrêter.
ReplyDeleteIl fait ça à tout le monde mais son but n'est pas d'être méchant, pour lui c'est juste des blagues.
Il est conscient que ça peut déranger certaines personnes et il nous dit souvent qu'il faut prendre ça à la rigolade et non se sentir agressé