Grauer French Students Video Conferencing With 8th Graders In France

When the Pandemic hit last March, no one expected to see our lives interrupted overnight, our classes moved online, and sadly, our beloved Grauer expeditions suspended. We also did not expect all these changes to last as long as it has, and we still do not know when travelling will resume.

So, when we returned to campus in the Fall, Grauer French 1 students decided to reach out to our sister school in Annecy, France (near the French Alps) to explore a new culture and world. We have been in contact with the director of the French International School of Annecy, Mr. Christian Jarlov (École Bilingue Internationale de Haute-Savoie), exchanging short videos of our respective schools and making new friends.
 
On Sunday, January 31, the students met each other for the first time on a video conference. It was no easy feat considering the 9-hour time difference. The French 8th graders in Annecy braved the cold Alpine weather and arrived at school at 7:30am (the next day for them), while our brave Grauer students resisted the late hour drowsiness and connected via Google Meet at 10:30pm. It was a great success on both sides. The video conference lasted about 45 minutes. Students took turn to ask questions about school, hobbies, sports, and living life in general with a pandemic. This is the message that Christian and his French students sent us the next day: “Thank you for staying late Sunday and joining the videoconference. We really enjoyed e-meeting you for the first time! You will see pictures of our 8th grade class during the conference. On our side, students were impressed to hear your answers and see that at the other end of the world, students attend school, have their hobbies and do their best to go through this difficult crisis! We hope to hear from you again! Keep up with your French! Apprenez bien le français!