High mountains. We speak English in the Orcières canteen

In Everyday Learning, Christine Tonier-Valentine playfully guides children eating in the canteen. “After 32 years in London I am fluent in English. When I arrived in Orcières, I worked at the Amicale laïque, teaching the children some English words. Considering their enthusiasm, the municipality offered to keep me going during and after the restaurant,” he says.

“We have been asking for an English speaker in the academy for a long time without success. And Christine, who was looking for work, got an opportunity. The best approach is to learn everyday through play. Additionally, we live in a tourist destination frequented by foreign customers. Many parents don’t speak English and they want their children to be more comfortable with the language than they are,” says Deputy Mayor Marie-Françoise Gervais.

After one three months already big progress

In fact, after a period of exchanging everyday words in Shakespeare’s language, children are able to understand many words and sentences. “Even if they can’t form sentences, they’re listening and learning,” says Christine Tonier-Valentin.

Who observes the events of the calendar to discover new vocabulary: birthdays, Halloween and soon Christmas.

Colors, the foods they use, food, weather, clothes, “everyday things”, are already assimilated by children. In the yard, after the canteen, football-related vocabulary is also acquired as there is space for football, skipping rope and plastic arts.

“It’s nice to help the little ones and tell them anything is possible. They realize their progress and talk about it with their parents,” enthuses Christine Tonier-Valentine. And to conclude: “When they enter college, I want them to know how to speak in public without embarrassment.”