Dialoguessssssss

Mistakes + Formal

P = Principal                                                              E = Éliee

Context : It was the first time I reached Mr. Estok, I was in the girl washroom, very stress, with all my paper on the counter to be sure to be professional and everything.

E: Hi. Mr. Estok? It is Elizabeth from A-L for an internship.

P : Bonjour Comment allez vous?

E : Bien. Thank you. And you?

P: I’m fine thanks. Tu prefers qu’on parle en Anglais ou en Français?

E : English please.

P : It’s fine. So the first step is to have a meeting right?

E: Yes please. When would you be available?

P: Tell me your time please.

E: Eu… Ok. Could you wait a minute please I will take my agenda.

P: Of course.

[…]

E: Tuesday at 11?

P: It would be fine for me.

E: Great see you tomorrow then?

P: Tomorrow? You said Tuesday no?

E: Oh sorry I mixed up Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday I can’t sorry I always mix those two days.

P: It’s ok. How about Monday at 4?

E: Yes I’m available.

P: see you Monday, Lundi then. Have a nice week end.

E: Thanks see you Monday. Have a nice weekend too. Sorry for that

P: It’s ok. Bye Bye.

E: Bye

What I would say in the future (not make that mistake again and be a little bit more formal)

E: Hi. Mr. Estok? It is Elizabeth from A-L for an internship.

P : Bonjour Comment allez vous?

E : Bien. Thank you. How about you?

P: I’m fine thanks. Tu prefères qu’on parle en Anglais ou en Français?

E : It would be more appropriate for my internship in English please.

P : It’s fine. So the first step is to have a meeting right?

E: Yes please. When would you be available?

P: Tell me your time please.

E: Eu… Ok. Could you wait a minute please I will take my agenda.

P: Of course.

[…]

E: Tuesday the 26 of September at 11?

P: Tuesday is the 1^st of October. (It would be fine for me.)

E: Great see you tomorrow then?

P: Tomorrow? You said Tuesday no?

E: Oh sorry I mixed up Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday I can’t sorry I always mix those two days.

P: It’s ok. How about Monday at 4?

E: Yes I’m available.

P: See you Monday, Lundi then. Have a nice week end.

E: Thank you see you Monday. Have a nice weekend too. Sorry for that.

P: It’s ok. Bye Bye.

E: Bye

I find that the conversation was formal enough but i often become less formal when i am under pressure.

Informal

Monitors always told the children to be polite with me but they would always talk to me as they would to their friends. It's really cute and children can be the best remedy against sadness and melancholy. I dont have big conversation that are informal so here are many little ones.

I was talking with a grade two:

Kid: My mom will come to pick me up only at six.

E: I finish at six too.

Kid: You will finish a six zero two how funny.

E: Haha! No I mean I will also stay until six o’clock.

Kid: Ah ok. hahahahahahaha

Two or three girls in grade two were playing a vampire role play story:

E: You know that vampire doesn’t like onion and ail.

Kids: Ail? What is it?

E: It’s food. How you call it in English..?

[…] (they tried many words)

E: Golic?

Kids: OH!!!! GARLIC!!!
E: Yes it’s that! Haha I forgot that word.

It was pet day, everybody was eating in the gym and I helped a lot. I said to a kid to sit down and wait a second because I was already doing a task and a monitor was passing by and thought I was talking to her. It was Miss Claire. I quickly told her I was talking to the kid. It was an embarrassing but a little comical moment because during the internship, I talked a lot with Miss Claire in the gym.

And other informal conversation is when Miss Claire showed pictures of her when she went in Morocco.

(710 words)

Linguistic aspects

Listening

On the first day, I was really stressed because it was my first internship in English. I wanted to help the monitor as much as possible so when the children were talking to me, I was not listening carefully. Now, I’m nearly in “my” own school but in a professional way. I say “Hi” to everybody and listen carefully when someone talk to me. During my internship, I was with the grade four 90% of the time but I also took care of the others grade when it was the end of the day care. (from five thirty to 6 there is only one monitor) Two times I took care of the grade 2. What I noticed is that when they are younger, it was harder for me to understand 100% of what they say. But they were much more affectionate. Finally, it was easier for me to understand what the monitor has told me when compared to what i though in the beginning about the children.

Accent

Even if I have an accent, it didn’t change anything. They quickly adapted theirselves when I was talking and I did the same. In general, if I talk a lot with someone, I unconsciously take the same accent as the speaker I am communicating with.

Fluency

I still search my words when I was talking with them because it’s in a non-prepare conversation so it’s harder for me to be as quick as I am in French. With adult maybe I listen differently but I wait two or three second before I answer but it’s a full sentence and I don’t stop in the middle of it. But with practice it’s getting better and better but in a slowly way.

Humour

I still don’t get English jokes. It’s a part of the English culture I need to practice more. But it’s hard to cut the funny moment just to ask what happened. So I laugh a little because everybody laughs. I know I should ask after the joke what it was about but I’m still shy on this side. I will surely ask to my friends but some just give up because I don’t understand.

Accuracy

I think accuracy and fluency are at the same level for me. Because I search some words, it’s hard to be 100% fluent and accurate. But I think I’m getting better every time.

Language structure

Miss Denise showed videos about animals wich (and not who because it’s about animals and not humans) work with humans and I took words we read or heard that I didn’t know or remember. (The next 6 words)

[  Cuddly (peluches)

[  Knowledge (connaissance)

[  Blurring (flou)

[  Eyelids (paupières)

[  Eel (anguille)

[  Falcon (faucon)

[  Banging game After the activity about animal, Miss Denise told the kids that she didn’t want banging games, games that make noise. I assume it is a common expression in the English school culture or vocabulary.

[  Tie your shoes (Attachez vos chaussures) I told a kid to “attach” his shoes and Mattel corrected me.
[  Yawning (bailler) (I was with Miss Clair and we talked about everything and nothing.
[  Tiptoes (la pointe des pieds) (Miss Jullietta did a mini class of yoga.)

[  Bouncing ball (= balle molle en français) (In the gym, the kids always want soccer ball or basketball.)

(562 words)

Culture, culture, culture…

I interviewed three adults for that question. Miss Kim takes care of grade four during lunch. She said that the native English speaker can easily talk in French and native French speakers even better. She also said that when native French speakers were together it was “their group” and rarely native English speakers would come talk with them. I also saw that in an English School, the cliché of “cliques” are the same as in English typical movies. Miss Franca welcomes the parents when they come to take their children. She told me that she doesn’t see a cultural or a linguistic difference between parents. Then another monitor (I don’t remember her name) (Miss Julietta) said that she sees a big difference. For example, Asian parents are calmer; Italians are really expressive, etc. (Cliché thoughts of the different cultures.) For the children, I didn’t see that culture did a difference. I don’t want to judge but I think from what I saw (During lunch on Halloween day, two parents wanted to stay to eat with their kid. Miss Franca said no, but the teacher didn’t say anything when the parents told her they would stay for lunch.) Maybe English parents don’t always ask permission to do something but I can’t judge those acts because it can change from parents to another. Also the janitor talks a lot more to monitors than the janitor at my elementary school.

Polite language or Slang?

I already talked a little about that in post #3 but because it is a school, everyone talks really well or pays attention to what they say, how and when. The principal always talks properly and professionally but also can act a little for the kids. For example, there was a Halloween contest and the principal announced the winners with a funny voice. In the kitchen, monitors always talk a little more relaxed because they are among themselves.

Language structure

[  Race (course) (The educator told the children that running would not help them to get the surprise faster.)

[  Ruffling independently (faire ses choses de façon indépendante) (The kids were too noisy.)

[  Talent talking (yelling) (too much noisy) (I don’t remember how to write it.)

(371 words)

Better outside or inside a classroom?

Interference +++
My first language is French but last year, I had an English friend and now in Cegep most of my classes are in English. I saw that my French interferes with my English when I explain something. For example, after school, I help kids with their homework. I corrected a text where there were a few errors as: “to(o) buy” or “compost(ing) bin”. Sometime when I was explaining, I didn’t use the correct word such as: “upside down” instead of “backward” because he switched some words.

Immersion VS Class

Internships are very useful. It’s my 4^th or 5^th one and I think it’s a great way to learn a language or a job. For example I did two stages for my job and it was very useful, I felt even more prepared to do all the tasks properly. I also did a stage of one day at my French elementary school.

For example, in an internship, I can learn games and songs.

Here are two songs I heard when kids were skipping rope:

Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums

Tell me when your birthday comes.

January                                 (* jumpers jumps in when her *)

February                                (*  birth month is called     *)

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1               (* jumpers jump out when their birthdate is called *)

2

3

…

31

Cinderella Dressed in Yellow
Jump Rope Song

Cinderella
Dressed in yellow
Went to kiss a prince,
By mistake,
Kissed a snake.
How many doctors
Did it take,
Was it,
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five…

Language structure

Sometime, you don’t learn new words but you rediscover old words you had forgetten. You have them in your brain, but you forgot what they mean.

[  Behavior (comportement)

(212words)

Right into the English world…

Communication
The children and I talked to each other a lot while I was new. Now I’m more in the background for them. They have a lot of energy and they move a lot. Sometimes, it’s hard to know what they mean because they don’t always look at me and I lose some words. I can’t see a big difference in the way they dress because they have a uniform. For the adults, it was mostly jeans or black pants, or skirt with a nice top, a little casual. The principal is always dressed very professionally (nice pants, tie, etc.). Monitors use first names when they are together but when they are with children, they add a “Miss” in front of the first name. They have a break from 12h30 to 14h but in general they stay a little more and do some cleaning in the kitchen. It’s a normal kitchen for them and for the school to do cooking projects and a place where the monitors wait for their shift to begin. In English, it’s hard to show the same politeness as in French because the vocabulary is not the same. It’s more right to the point But they are very respectful to each other.

Language structure

[  Go in one ear and out the other (entrer par une oreille et sortir par l'autre) (I tried to say that expression to the monitor when the children were not listening to her.)

(247 words)

Another experience

First impressions

Children’s World Academy is a very dynamic, welcoming and friendly place where it is very educational to work there. It is a professional work place where the children and the workers are kind and happy to meet you. 

First day!

In general on a first day of an internship I don’t talk much and I observe a lot but because I needed to do my blog tonight, I tried to talk as much as I could. Also, today was the school evaluation day so teachers, educators and all the others employees were very busy and they framed me less during this first a little stressful day. Even the children asked me if I was an evaluator. During lunch, it’s difficult to talk because we don’t have much time. I helped a grade four educator than the children played soccer in the gym before they went to the cafeteria to eat. In the afternoon, I went to help students in grade four to do their homework. I helped in math and in French. Math was quite easy because it was basic questions. French was more challenging than I thought even if it was basic words. I needed to find the right translation and it was really difficult. After they finished their homework, the children went outside to play different games. Even if it was a stressful day for everybody, they were all welcoming and friendly. I was also surprised that I understand 100% of children’s English. I didn't see differences between my language and my culture and theirs yet.

Language structure

In three hours, I didn't have a lot of time to learn new words but I discovered:

[  A referee (un arbitre) (During lunch time, a student from grade six came to be the referee during the soccer game.)

Misunderstanding

I didn't have big misunderstanding like I had on the phone with my host but the secretary asked me to directly go to the daycare office. Than the daycare coordinator told me to take a visitor badge at the secretary office. It was an intern misunderstanding and what I could learn about it is that we need to communicate so everything would be clear as water.

(320 words)

(pictures from https://www.google.ca/imghp?hl=fr&tab=wi)

At the end of the day, a child put on my nails 3D sparkles stickers. 
It finish my day with a big smile because I love sparkles!

It always begins with a call…

Hi! This post is about many subjects before I begin the internship.

Where: Children’s World Academy

When: Fall 2013

What: day care (grade 3, 4)

Language goals

I hope my pronunciation in English will be even better after my internship. Also I’m sure I will learn new vocabulary or specific (for teaching) words in teaching.

Language learning strategies

I think that the five language learning strategies I will use are:

[  Guessing: Using the context and the words I already know to understand some sentences or text.

[  Practice: Speak, talk and write with native English speaker will surely help me.

[  Monitoring: Taking a fast break to see if I understand.

[  Constantly searching the meaning: Ask to the speaker to explain what he means, so I can understand more.

[  Low inhibition: I know I will make some mistake and I just need to correct myself without shame.

                                 

Expressions

[  A picture paints a thousand words (A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words.)

[  A piece of cake (A task that can be accomplished very easily.)

[  Add fuel to the fire (Whenever something is done to make a bad situation even worse than it is.)

[  It costs an arm and a leg (Very expensive.)

[  Apple of my eye (Someone who is cherished above all others.)

[  Every cloud has a silver lining (Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days.)

[  Get up on the wrong side of the bed (Someone who is having a horrible day.)

[  It takes two to tango (A two person conflict where both people are at fault.)

[  Practice makes perfect (By constantly practicing, you will become better.)
[  Rome was not built in one day (If you want something to be completely properly, then it’s going to take time.)

First call

First, I left two messages. When we finally reached each other, I did a mistake I said Tuesday instead of Thursday. What I learn from that is I need to calm myself and think when I say a date.

First meeting

I was pretty nervous about that meeting but it went well. I didn’t do mistake. Catherine and I still don’t know what date we begin and with witch grade we will be (day care, specific class (music or gym) or grade 3, 4, 5 or 6). I’m really satisfied from that meeting. I asked all my questions and it went well. I’m sure I will have a great time there.

Pre internship impressions

My impressions are that it will be really fun, not too stressful. Of course it will change a little depending what will be my responsibilities. I already have some experiences because I did an internship last year with grade 6 students at my elementary school. I also worked during 2 or 3 summer in a camp and their day care.

(314 words)

(pictures from https://www.google.ca/imghp?hl=fr&tab=wi)