OMG, enough with the strikes already!

So I was prepared for two lessons today with the CM2 and CM1 at the one school with the two teachers who aren't striking. Imagine my surprise when all the little CE1 guys get on the bus. They are the class of the directeur, who I am absolutely positive is striking. So I ask one of the little girls if the maitre is striking, and she says no. What? You mean I am going to have to teach you guys English and I'm completely unprepared with anything? Ohhhhhhhh man am I screwed. But due to my quick thinking, I created a lesson on classroom objects using the stuff that was in the classroom rather than flashcards. Hmmmm, it seemed a lot more brilliant before I wrote it down. I guess I was just impressed by my ability to pull a lesson out of my derrière. Three classes on what was supposed to be a huge strike day. According to Le Figaro only 46% of teachers were on strike today. That is a lot, basically half the teachers in the country, but the way the teachers at my one school that was totally closed today were behaving I thought this was going to be really enormous, like every teacher in the country striking. Well, I guess for them it was a big deal, they were all on strike.

AND, I'm putting the warning out now: Preavis de grève dans les transports le 22 mai. Good grief, I'd better stock up on things to amuse myself with in Soissons for the next two weeks. Who knows how long they'll keep that one going. For the folks at home, the train strikes are the worst. The whole country gets blocked up, you can't go anywhere, it's a mess.

Tomorrow I will be in Paris, and probably the whole weekend too, because clearly I won't be there next weekend. You remember what Sabrina said about Paris, "never an umbrella and never a briefcase." I can avoid the briefcase part but I definitely don't think I'll be able to get by without an umbrella! Sorry Sabrina.