Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-15
FORMER ACADEMY TEACHER
 WRITES FROM FRENCH ScHoO

Miss Marion E. Smith, formerly the French teacher at the Norwich Free Academy, is now at L'Ecole Normale d Institutions at Poitiers, Vienne; France Of her experiences and the life in France after the war she has written dne of her friends as follows:
 "I left New York Sept. 18th on the Chicago and arrived in Bordeaux the 24th. We had excellent weather. but I was seasick tw7ce, partly I think be- cause we had French cooking on board and partly because there were a few things like the bread and the eggs which I couldn't stand. There were many foreigners on board, and some were rather dirty. to say the least. In the cabin with me there was portly one eyed Spanish woman who knew about six words of English and twelve of French, her Spanish French daugh- ter about 20 years old, who was well acquainted with paint and powder, and . boy Of g or 10 Then there were Swiss, Jews Italians. Lithuanians. German An1erieans, a few French. and still fewer Americans.
 After, my arrival at Poitlers I spent a whole morning trying to frd out TEhere was supposed to go. and final ly landed here simply talk English To and with the girls usually in grorns of four or five. and have twelve ho...=:.ss,, os conversation week. At the uni yersity am reader in English and have two hours of conversation and one hour of translation from French into English 9 week This week I am . 10 begin class in English for the clerks. wnc vii. aisc have lessons in commercial law, geography. etc. Tn addition I also attend fourteen hours of classes a week. mcinly in French history, geography, literature and translation. Twice a week there is 9 class in practical French for foreirn- ers. At present there are five pIrils two Serbisns. an Fnrlish boy Of r, ? charming Scotch girl Of about 20, and myself.
 The people. here are all very cor dial and the students arc pleasant tC work with. I'm afraid T'Il never be- come accustomed to shaking hands several times a day with the same ner- son. having the pupils rise when I en- ter the room, and seeing so much black. The girls at normal school are required to dress in black. and ther one sees a great deal of ranurnine There are three years Of work in al the normal schools. and sometimes four as here. Until a few years aeo when gas became scarce. the puDils
 got I'D at o'clock. studied until ' had .hreakfast. swept floors. etc, unti s had classes or study periods, excen
 for fifteen minutes of reerea ton. .l,nti
 t2. Luncheon at F, followed by ar hour of recreation or converse ton ir Euslish. classes and study periods al most ail the afternoon. and dinner a I 7.20, followed by an hour of reeratior or conversation. Besides pedagogy morale q suppose that's ethiesl. rn-sic
 drawing, geograp aphy. sciences. English
 French grammar and literature. they also start their third year bv learnins
 how to teach in the city schools They are supposed to keen up in their schoo work at the same time. Isn't that a1 | imposition? What especially impress.
 es nse here is thai one nunil very ofte1 | has t9s treat a subject fo~ half or three
 quarters of an hour. and the same f
 true at the university. I'm glad mos
 of my student days were spent in tn, Scod old U. S. 4.