education delegation, part deux

Last week I was reunited with the original Oklahoma education delegates with whom I first traveled to Amiens last December. To further the educational partnership, Desa, Linda and Charlotte, along with two more delegates from the K20 Center, braved the ice storm in Oklahoma to keep their rendez-vous in France. Desa had to saw through fallen branches to get her car out of the garage, and the whole group drove to Dallas when their flight out of OKC was canceled. That's determination!

Because I was part of the original delegation, I was invited to work at the Rectorat with this year's group. I met them at their hotel for lunch the first day, then we had a relaxed meeting and overview of the French education system. In the evening, I was in charge of the group. A year ago, I was depending on others to show me around, and this time, I was the guide! We toured the marché de noël, then went to the cathedral to see the sound and light show. Back to the hotel for dinner, and and early night for the weary travelers.

Wednesday, I was able to sleep in a bit while the delegates visited a school in Beauvais. The K20 Center is working on a project that will take French science teachers - who teach in English - to Norman next summer, where they will work side by side with OU science professors. In the afternoon, I met them for another meeting at the Rectorat, and then we were invited to dinner chez Monsieur le Recteur!

Thursday, I visited the collège Admiral Lejeune, a middle school that we would like to pair with the middle school part of Classen. One of the reasons it seems perfect for CSAS is that they have about 90 students who study music across the street at the conservatoire. We then visited the lycée professionnel for restaurants and hotels. There, students as young as fifteen begin their preparation to be a cook or a hotel or restaurant manager. Finally, we drove to the lycée de l'Authie in Doullens, where we met with representatives from schools who are already partnered with Oklahoma schools.

Dinner that night was with representatives of the region, and lunch the next day was with staff from the Rectorat - all of the people who worked behind the scenes planning the week. Friday afternoon, I went shopping with Véronique, Desa and Linda, and then we met members of the France-USA club for dinner. Looking back, it seems like all we did was eat, but I promise, we did a lot of work, and I hope we can keep the momentum up on our educational partnership.