I started working at Lycée Jules Verne on 1st October 2021. From that day to my final day as an assistant has been a memorable journey. A lot of questions ran through my mind on my first day. “If I’d be welcomed here?”, “Would the students like me?”, “Would I get along with my colleagues?” But it turns out, I was welcomed with so much warmth and left with many beautiful memories.

The school’s environment was warm and welcoming. The English teachers I worked  with  were  friendly  and  helpful  from  the  very  start.  They  gave  me creative  freedom  for  the  activities  that  I  presented  to  the  students.  I  worked with  small  groups  of  students  at  a time  and  I  worked  on  the  communicative aspect of teaching English. Hence, the classes were engaging and interactive. I was lucky to have students who were kind and enthusiastic. Coming from an anglophone  country,  I  could  introduce  India  to  the  students  through  various activities on its culture, festivals, history which they appreciated. Furthermore, I  tried  my  best  to  keep  my  classes  interesting  with  a  new  activity  with  each group.  In  addition  to  this,  being  an  assistant  has  its  perks.  This  meant,  I  also got to go on the educational school trips with the students like to the Napoleon exhibition and the Louvre Museum.

Not only the English teachers, but the administrative officials and the teachers from different subjects were also very kind and helping. Whenever, I had a free hour  between  classes,  I  used  to  sit  in  the  staff  room  and  I  was  able  to  meet other  teachers.  I  would  usually discuss  with  them  and  also  have  lunch sometimes.  During  seven  months  at  Jules  Verne,  I  have  acquired  better communication skills, more confidence and pedagogical skills. I was fortunate to have met such diligent and terrific teachers and the students as well that it only made the goodbye difficult. Working as an assistant only motivated me to pursue the teaching profession in the future. Thanks to my experience of two years as an English assistant, I got accepted  to  the  masters program  (MEEF)  which will be great opportunity  to attain my goal of becoming an English teacher.

I highly appreciate having worked at the school and have utmost admiration for my  colleagues.  And  I  wish  good  luck  to  all  the  students  with  their  future endeavors. I hope to see you all again someday.

Aastha