Learning French in Sancerre

L'Ecole Coeur de France

Well, I guess it is my turn to put in a blog and of course I will write about the French learning in Sancerre.  I am a teacher after all and that's why we came.

As our 3 weeks come to an end in Sancerre, I have to say that I am happy with  what we have learned. Everything is French here.  You will not find English in this small city and the school even makes sure that the citizens speak only French to you. They are patient here and  friendly.  At the beginning, it was only me who would speak when we went to a store or restaurant.  Now we can send Niall and Aaron to the store and they will order the baguette or buy the stamp and they will order their own meals.

Ma classe

As I am already considered bilingual, I was in a different class from my boys , grouped with 2 or 3 others depending on the week.  We were all about the same level.  For me, I enjoy the oral speaking.  I like to practice and work on perfecting my grammar as I speak. They are not afraid to correct you and personally I love that. During the 2 weeks that I did classes, I reviewed aspects of grammar that have given me some difficulty in the past, learned new vocabulary,  learned everyday French expressions and spoke about many topics.  As my classmates were from , New Jersey, Seattle, and New Zealand, it was fun to discuss the similarities and differences we have. I also enjoyed comparing the French language from France to Quebec.

Rob and the boys were grouped together. Rob and Niall are about the same level when it comes to oral speaking.  Rob has a bit more grammar experience than Niall. Most of the time they would work together with their teacher Beth .  They have expanded their vocabulary, grammar knowledge, and are capable of speaking more French using the proper structures .  It is nice to know that we can have a conversation in total French as a family.

Aaron was the beginner so he had the most to learn in a way.  He now  has a large vocabulary and he is capable of forming sentences and asking simple questions.  Beth only spoke French to him so his listening abilities in the French language are fairly good. He questions himself a lot by translating what you have said in French to English.  He is shy and will not say much unless he is sure of himself.  If I compare it to the French program at home in grade 4, I would say he has completed the year in 3 weeks.  Some areas he would be ahead, some areas he would be missing some vocabulary but not a lot.  He has had a lot of information to process and I hope it sticks.  We hope to continue practicing French throughout our travels.

Les nouveaux amis

To make it more authentic, Beth would take them out to the patisserie, the post office, and other places and they would be required to ask a question . We also made two French meals with friends and professeur.  On our own, we have  watched a movie in French ( old Harry Potter movies),  watched TV in French (had no other choice) and had a French tour of a cathedral .  Rob and I will speak more French amongst ourselves than we do with the boys.

L'hiver est tôt

I would certainly recommend this program. It was worth it for the French culture and experiences, as well as enjoying rural France. The best way to learn French is to go somewhere where they don't speak English!!  It has been fun to meet different people from different countries.  I now have contacts in Australia and United States and we will probably make a visit to them on our travels.  I think spring and early fall would be a better time to come as there are more people but not too many, and more activities offered. In the fall of course, is the harvesting of the grapes which I would have enjoyed experiencing.   A little bit more heat wouldn't go astray either!!  It has been unseasonably cold!!