"Sink-or-Swim French Can Be "Chambre de Torture",
but Also Fun"
by LUCY A. KRAUS
"... Our days were
varied but carefully structured with total emphasis
placed on the spoken, not the written, word. There
were classroom sessions with film strips and systematic
usage of new phrases and grammatical complexities,
and group games, with variations on charades; there
were poems to read, songs to hear, and stories to
tell, all in French, naturally. And, of course, there
was the language laboratory.
Evenings and weekends
we spilled out into Villefranche or such neighborhing
Riviera towns as Nice and Monte Carlo, to use our
ever-expanding knowledge of French in shops, buses,
museums and restaurants. It was gratifying to be able
to ask directions in perfect, if slow, French and
mortifying when a bus driver responded in perfect
English !
As the first week drew
to a close, students struggled to get accustomed to
the rigorous routine as the sun and sea, looming large
beyond the windows of the institute, vied for our
attention. We leaped at the chance to spend half-hour
breaks and practice sessions in the garden, and sun
baths were snatched furtively. But all too soon we
returned to the classroom to watch "Pierre and Mireille"
go to the cinema.
By the fourth and last
week, there was a final burst of energy to learn,
to speak, to comprehend. Class discussions in Intermediate
II became hilarious as students outdid one another
to provide the funniest lines of imaginary dialogue
to accompany the filmstrips. We became cocky, giddy,
anxious, relieved - feelings mixed with a twinge of
sadness, for soon we would be leaving our fascinating
little community..."
