a long-awaited day

Since the beginning of the school year, the sixième have been driving me crazy with questions about the traditional trip to England....to the point that I couldn't wait for the day after the trip.

We took two buses filled with 82 sixth-graders to Calais, where we stopped for une pause pipi. The kids thought we were already in England, and when they saw the bathrooms at the rest stop, they said, "Madame, the bathrooms in England are HUGE!" "Hello, did we go in a tunnel yet? We're still in France, you silly kids." Bladders emptied, we loaded the buses into the shuttle that goes under the Channel. My claustrophobia hit in, but soon I had to play maman to several girls with motion sickness, so I thankfully forgot my own panic.

Once in England, we hit the road to Bodiam Castle, where I guided my group of 12 up and down the castle towers. After the visit, we had a picnic on the lawn. No peanut butter and jelly sandwich for me...I had homemade quiche and a slice of tarte aux pommes, thanks to Alex who packed our lunches! On our way out of the park, I was complimented by a grounds keeper who was impressed with the kids' attention to litter. We then headed to the medieval town of Rye, where we saw a model of the town, learned about the history, then walked through the cobble stone streets. The kids had an activity packet to complete, since it was a voyage scolaire. One task was to find the names of the houses on Mermaid Street. Of course, I had to explain what they meant - "The house with two front doors," "The house with the seat," and "The house opposite" (opposite the Mermaid Pub).

For many children, this was not only their first trip without their parents, but also their first trip outside of France. They were so eager to practice their English that they practically accosted every person they saw, yelling "Hello, how are you?" and "Excuse me." My proudest moment was when two of my students, Charles and Charlotte, told me they'd made friends with a shopkeeper who didn't speak French, but they did their best to speak English with him, and he gave them reduced prices because they didn't have enough pounds. I stopped in his shop to thank him for his kindness, and he told me what good kids they were. He wrapped up a little gift and asked me to give it to the "little girl in white" because she'd done the translating for the group.

It was a long day, but once we were back in the classroom and I was able to discuss with them their impressions of the day, it was well worth it. Many would like to return to England with their parents, and now that they know it's not so far, I think some of them will.