Page 13 - 1950 VES Meteor

•
Letters
Deor Mr. Bonks,
As nearly three months have passed since
I hove arrived in France, I think it's time I let V. E. S. heor a little about my experi- ences here ond about the school where I om teaching, the Ecole Normole d'lnstituteurs du Colvodos. I'll address myself to you, since I recoil your ossurinq me that I wouldn't write in spite of my best inten- tions. I wish we'd bet on it.
After orriving in mid-September ond spending o couple of weeks in Paris, I set- tled down in Trouville, which is o little town on the Channel. I hove been here ever since, except for o visit to Britony, ond o brief return to Paris.
My work here is rather simple, consisting principally of talking to the students ond trying to get them to talk to me-in English, that is. There ore about fifty students here, oil ot the expense of the French government, which gives them on allowance, os well. For this, they ore required to toke o job in o government school for ot least ten years after graduation, ond they generally follow o teaching career oil their lives.
I wos quite surprised ot first by the meth- od of discipline here. There is no demerit system, or even anything like it, ond there ore no counselors. There ore two boys of college oge, officially titled surveillants who ore supposed to see thot the students be- hove when not in doss. From what I hove seen so for, the students give comparatively
little trouble in doss or out. If one sho1.ld require punishment, he is "colla," that is, not allowed to leave school on the next holi- day, which would be either o Thursday or o Sunday. For minor offenses, the student povs o small fine.
The boys ore thirty minutes less fortunate than their American counterports, having to get up in the morning ot holf post six when o surveillant orouses them by clopping his hands. The dormitories ore not supervised os closely os ot V. E. S., neither master nor surveillant living there, but the students ore ~ble to spend so little time there except when sleeping tho+ this is of no great im- portance.
To continue with the schedule, by seven o'clock, the students should hove dressed and mode their beds, ond be ready to begin their half hour of "service": each one hos o special job ossi~oed which must be done every doy. At 7:30 just os at Lynchburg breakfast is served. It is a typical French breakfast, o bowl-not a cup-of cafe ou loit, ond o couple of slices of bread ond butler, ond the students furnish their own butter. At eiqht, work begins. During the hours when they hove no doss ond o possi-
bility of a surveillant seems remote, the stu- dents enjoy their best opportunities for get- ting into trouble.
Classes lost for fifty minutes with o five- minute recess after each one, ond continu~ till noon, when the students hove lunch. At this point, o startling difference from V. E. S. occurs os the students ore invoriobly served beer or wine with their meol. Then classes continue until 4:30, ond ore hardly out of study holl when they hove to return ot five o'clock ond stay until seven. Then after o
break till eight for supper, they ogoin return
until 10:00. By 10:30, they must be in bed with lights out.
Sports here ore not in the best possible condition, but then, the school hos no gym, having been forced os o result of wor to obondon temporarily their regular campus ot Coen. The two basketball games I hove seen so for will not beor description. Still they seem reosonably good at what they coli football, which is not really football, but soccer, ond I om ossured tho+ when the vol- leyball seoson storts, they will really do themselves honor. About the only sport for which the school is equipped is ping-pong ond that is played by everyone with great enthusiosm.
The school hos no store that could be comnored with Mr. Gonnowoy's, but there is, in the recreation room along with the ping-pong tables, o small bor, run by the students for the "co-operative" whose prin- ciple function seems to be orronging the school's two donees. They sell wine ond operotifs, which ore comporotively mild al- coholic concoctions, ond olso cigarettes. Smoking is not ollowed (theoretically) in class or on dorm, but otherwise is entirely unrestricted ond os for os I con tell, every- one here smokes.
I hove found these comporisons, os well os those between other phases of French life ond thot of the U. S. perho~s the most interesting aspect of my visit here. They give one some new ideas. ond moke one toke onother look ot o good mony old ones. However, oil the differences that I've de- scribed here seem to me to be rother super- ficial, ond I find +hot in most respects, the bosic outlook, ond the general attitude to- word life of the "eleves moitres" of the Ecole Normole du Coldovos ore the some os were those of my classmates of ten yeors ogootV.E.S.
Please give my regards to Mrs. Bonks ond the rest of my friends ot school. I hope you'll please excuse me if this letter is too much like o theme, but, when I address my- self to you in writing, the force of habit is just too strong.
Sinc~rely yours, Bob Magill.
The Meteor thanks Mr. Banks for letting us use this letter.
W. D. CAMPBELL &SON Incorporated
INSURANCE Peoples Notional Bank Bldg. Lynchburg, Va.
PHILLIP'S BROS.
lncorporoted 906 Main Street
FOR A TREAT Plenty of Service and Lots to Eat
HOLLINS MILL ROAD
Established 1859
J. P. BELL COMPANY STATIO NERS, BOOKSELLERS, PRINTERS PHOTOGRAPHERS
816 Main Street
BRING YOUR KODAK WORK TO US
HENRY ROSS MEN'S STORE
Everything for Men
722 Main Street V-CLUB, AGENTS
THE METEOR
13
LETTERS
COME TO
A THLETIC
MUSIC DEP ARTMENT
STEAK CELLAR
Underneath Carroll Hotel
FAMOUS FOR ITS HAMBURGERS AND FRENCH. FRIED ONIONS
EQUIPMENT
Stoughton
and J ohnson
ART BARBER SHOP Under Hotel Carroll
V. E. S. WELCOME
Patronize Those Who Patronize You
YOUR GIFT CENTER
BOWEN
d~Gmtpam;iir.. 9th and Main