the beatles and the abcs

This morning I took a group of 6ème to the computer lab. Suzanne, the woman who manages the lab, was surprised to learn that we don't have the equivalent at my school in Oklahoma. At the teacher's computer, I can click on a student station and listen in or talk to them. If they have questions, I can see their screen on one of my 3 screens and help them without leaving my seat. It's pretty fun - like computers and a drop-down lab all rolled into one. But I didn't have much time to experiment with all of the functions, because I was too busy spying on the students as they navigated their way through the CD-ROM that accompanies their textbook.

In the past week and a half, we have worked on two songs in class. The first is the silly alphabet rap that quickly made itself an incurable earworm, and the other is "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles. Thanks to technology, I was able to listen in as they sang along to the songs on their computers. Headphones and microphones in place, they were be-bopping along with the music and singing...in English. I tried to stifle my giggles at their precious accents and their off-key performance while holding back those tears of pride that plague me so. I know, I know, Meghan and Seth will tell you that I cry all the time, but I really was touched by how involved these 11-year olds were today.

"Madame, you mean we have this CD-ROM to use at home? And all of these activities are on it? Ouais!!!" I hope their parents like the Beatles, because I predict an outbreak of "repetuneitis" in Poix and its environs this weekend.