Grenoble Life: What is VSArt?

Meredith Charreyron: VSArt is a French association, based in Paris, in existence for 22 years. Its purpose is that of bringing cultural activities to the less fortunate in a manner that promotes personal exchange, in an “interactive” form.

GL: What sorts of activities?

Meredith: VSArt’s Grenoble chapter (now five years old) is divided into three sectors, organizing and promoting cultural activities in each:

• Musical – proposing concerts and workshops, be they classical, jazz, variety
• Artistic/manual: organizing craft and arts workshops (floral composition, jewelry-making, photography, painting and sculpture …)
• Computer training: where we teach those with limited means basic computer skills on a one-to-one basis (every Friday, in La Villeneuve)

GL: How did you get involved?

Meredith: I lived near Paris, performed regularly in small chamber music ensembles and came across VSArt musicians by chance at one of their concerts. I made initial contact with the head of the music sector at VSArt’s headquarters (Paris XVI) and engaged myself, promising a few hours of administrative work with the team each Tuesday.

GL: You opened the Grenoble chapter for VSArt. What did this involve?

Meredith: When I moved to Grenoble six years ago with my family, I knew no one in the area. I was anxious to start making contacts in the music world, and was also anxious to find some friends! The music solution came quickly, once I learned of the existence of Musiques Pour Tous, an association that has existed locally for some 32 years and brings together amateur and semi-professional musicians of all kinds. Once a part of this network, I saw the possibility of starting up a VSArt chapter on a small scale, offering musical animations as our “cultural product”. So I pulled out the yellow pages, contacted several centers for the aged, the handicapped, and took it from there …

GL: Tell us about some of your volunteer members and where they come from.

Meredith: One of the true riches of the Grenoble chapter of VSArt lies in the diversity of its volunteer members. There are about 65 of us: most of the musicians are French but on the artistic side we have a pool of 30 (mostly female) members. They are of all ages, 11 nationalities, varied backgrounds. Meeting each other, working together, sharing our talents – all part of the pleasure enjoyed by these volunteers (of which I am one!).

GL: VSArt collaborates regularly with Café Nicodeme – tell us more about this relationship.

Meredith: Café Nicodeme, in the heart of Grenoble, is just one of the “centers” where VSArt intervenes. For the past two years we have held monthly jewelry-making workshops for Nicodeme members. The rapport between our two associations is a particularly gratifying one. Since you are interested in this collaboration, I suggest that you view this télévideo that shows us working together.

GL: Tell us about some upcoming events organized by VSArt

Meredith: Each year members of VSArt’s music sector organize events in the form of fundraising concerts that are open to the general public. Our annual classical concert will again be held at the Bertet Musique auditorium in Gieres, Sunday March 27, 18:00–19:30. In 2010 we will again hold a series of private concerts (in people’s homes).

GL: Could you tell us a little about your background?

Meredith: In order of importance to me: I am a mother of four (and wife of one Frenchman) who has relocated her family nine times. I’m a former hotel marketing professional, a teacher, a flutist and an avid “sportive”. Why did our family relocate this last time, from Paris to Grenoble in 2003? … My husband’s career brought us here.

GL: How can people participate in VSArt activities?

Meredith: I suggest that any interested parties first consult the VSArt site, and click on “implantation- Grenoble” once you’ve understood what goes on nationally. 

You can read the short text and view the three télévideos I have referred to, in order to have a good idea of what our cultural workshops are all about. You should know that these activities take place almost exclusively on weekday afternoons.

If your interest continues, feel free to email our local team or give a call. Our recruiters would be happy to meet with you after sending you more information on VSArt Grenoble.

Contact:
Meredith.Charreyron (at) gmail.com
06 74 50 67 40

Parents and their Toddler Talkers enjoying a story. Helen McEwan is second from left

abc anglais is a brand new English speaking playgroup in Grenoble for the youngest of children and their parents no matter where you are from. Mums, dads, toddlers and babies are totally immersed in an English-speaking environment during the session, joining in the nursery rhymes and songs, listening to favourite stories, playing age-appropriate games as well as taking part in art and craft activities all conducted in English. It’s run by me, Helen McEwan, a UK qualified Speech and Language Therapist and experienced English language teacher.

Every session is structured around a subject, which forms part of a five week theme, for example, ‘On the Farm’. We always have at least one story, one song, one nursery rhyme per subject, e.g., ‘cows’, and plenty of games and craft activities to keep the children actively interested. There is also a story and a couple of songs on the general theme which we come back to every time to reinforce the learning of the theme and to allow the children (and parents) to familiarise themselves with the English songs and stories.

There are currently three levels – “Baby Babblers” for babies up to 12 months old, “Toddler Talkers” for one to two year olds, and “Chatterbox Children” for two to three year olds.

My idea of exposing very young children to a language they do not normally speak at home is based on the theories of language development in general. There are still many mysteries surrounding language acquisition (and even more so around the thorny issue of bilingualism), but it is believed that a child learns the fundamentals of his/her own language by age three. So, in order to maximise the chances of a child learning an additional language as naturally and easily as possible, it is best to start early.

In addition, there is clear evidence that learning the sounds of language is done in the first year of life, much research quoting just the first six months as the time limit on acquiring the speech sounds specific to your language. So, if you noticed your baby being able to trill or click and make sounds more akin to more ‘exotic’ languages in its early months, this is because your baby was born with the ability to make all speech sounds, but quickly hones into the sounds s/he hears in her environment and continues to practise only those in the babble phase, around six–nine months. Therefore, if you want to pronounce another language well – especially if it sounds very different to your own, (French vs. English!), ideally you need to be exposed to the sounds of that language in the first six months of life, or certainly no later than the first year in order to reproduce them accurately later on!

Making spider bracelets with Chatterbox Children at Halloween

For this reason, I choose stories which use repetition, rhyme, have a strong rhythm, are not very ‘wordy’, but have captivating story lines as well as bold, striking artwork to capture the child’s imagination, even if s/he doesn’t know any English yet. For any form of learning, familiarisation of the subject matter is essential. Repetition is therefore a valuable learning tool, and so we come back to the stories and songs and rhymes during one session, during a theme, and also during the course of the year, but from different angles. ‘Noah’s Ark’ can be used in a session on rain, as well as animals, boats, or counting for example.  In any case, children love returning to their favourite books, toys, programmes over and over again.

The same principle applies to the songs we sing. They are carefully chosen for their ease of learning, and because they are fun, and tuneful and worth singing. Learning through song is almost primeval. Often it is easier to learn a phrase with music or with a strong rhythm – do you remember doing this when revising for an exam, or learning a new language? – as you are allowing your brain more chances of storing the data and hence more opportunities of retrieving it via various routes – the linguistic and the musical. Singing is an almost instinctive response to childcare. Many cultures use music for child rearing, and children respond instinctively to the human voice, particularly their mother’s. In this way singing constitutes a fundamental form of early interaction between parent and child.

I set up abc anglais because of my own experience of coming to Grenoble six months pregnant with my first child. Although I have worked with children, including newborns and premature babies, I had no idea what to expect with my own baby, particularly in a very new and foreign environment. And I was very disappointed to discover that actually there is very little available for parents and babies in particular. It was a very isolating and disorientating experience. Thank goodness for Open House and the Baby and Toddler Groups there, which I quickly became involved with (and I encourage all similar families to). Running the groups there and doing prototype abc sessions at my daughter’s garderie gave me the idea to combine my professional skills with offering something that I feel is lacking in Grenoble – a service for our youngest of citizens. In the UK, I worked in nurseries and clinics for the under fives, and ran parent-child interaction groups which encourage positive communication. I draw on this experience and other principles of my profession in designing and running the abc sessions.

Helen McEwan

So, abc anglais is as much an opportunity for parents to have some quality play time with their young children, as it is an opportunity for the children to become exposed to English at the optimum time for language learning. It is also an opportunity for parents to practise their English, and enjoy being in an English-speaking environment. abc anglais is as much for parents as for children, and this is a fundamental basic principle. And it’s open to everyone, not just Anglophones. Families from USA, Asia, as well as many different European countries, and French families are currently attending.

Sessions are held in two locations in Grenoble – at Les Petits Bilingues, place de Metz, on Mondays and Tuesdays, and at the new English café – Bookworm, rue St. Laurent, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The new block starts the week of 9 November. It will run for five weeks, with a special Christmas session in the week of 14 December. Come and join us, it’s lots of fun!

(Check out the Bookworm Café blog and the fantastic Mômes à Grenoble blog for further information on forthcoming events, or contact me: abc.anglais (at) free.fr)

Alexa Meresse carrying her son in one of her wraps

Rebecca Marcenac of Grenoble Life meets Alexa Meresse, founder of Colimaçon et Compagnie, a local business selling made-to-measure baby carriers.

by Rebecca Marcenac

With my two-month old daughter pushing towards five kilos and my arms sore from carrying her up and down two flights of stairs in her carrycot, we took off one scorching hot Grenoble summer morning for the slightly cooler heights of Herbeys in Belledonne to meet Alexa Meresse, founder of Colimaçon et Compagnie, and to purchase a made-to-measure wraparound baby carrier.

An entrepreneur and mum of two, Alexa sells and produces beautifully coloured wraps from her home, where she also has a workshop. On arrival, Alexa pulled out colourful wraps from a hidden chest under her sofa and proceeded to show me three wrapping techniques. My daughter, who had made friends with Alexa’s demonstration doll, protested at first, but soon settled and seemed at least as happy as I was. We then went up to the workshop where I selected my material. We worked out the perfect length for my wrap and chatted away while Alexa sewed my wrap. Here’s what she had to say.

Rebecca Marcenac: Where did the idea to make and sell wraparound baby carriers come from?

Alexa Meresse: Shortly after my first son was born, I wanted to carry him in a wrap. I bought one over the Internet from a maman couseuse (mum who manufactures baby items such as wraps, reusable nappies, bibs etc. from home and sell them on an ad hoc basis). I was very disappointed by the quality of the product and decided to make my own. Then I started making wraps for friends, for friends of friends … until one day I was contacted by health professionals. That’s when I thought ‘I should make a living out this!’ and took the leap and set up Colimaçon et Compagnie!

RM: What are the advantages of using a wraparound baby carrier for both the child and the parent?

AM: There are numerous benefits. For babies and toddlers, wraps are comfortable and respectful of their physiology: their neck is supported, and the natural curvature of the spine is respected (especially in newborns). It is like sitting in a chair – legs are on either side of the carrier – there is no weight on the sexual organs, only on the child’s thighs. Furthermore, carrying your baby in a wrap provides skin to skin contact. Curled up against mummy or daddy, the child feels secure and appeased. It is a fact that children carried in wraps cry a lot less than those who are not. Studies have also shown that babies who were frequently carried in a wrap from birth grow up to be children who are more serene, more independent and less prone to tantrums!

For parents, the major benefits are twofold. Wraps are both comfortable and easy to use. You can carry a 10-kilo toddler for several hours without feeling any discomfort, and once baby is in the wrap you can go about your daily business, be it housework, shopping, using public transport, but also hikes etc. Some parents even use their wrap at the seaside or at the swimming pool to gradually get their baby used to water.

RM: How did you go about starting your own business?

AM: I have a rather eclectic background. I have a degree in technical sales. After having worked for several years in the charity sector, I went on to work in communications at a blood transfusion centre. I was on parental leave making wraps for friends and relatives and started getting a reputation locally through word of mouth. I was then contacted by health professionals.

Shortly after going back to work, I was made redundant. It was at that point that I decided to have a go at creating my own business. I found two bodies in Vizille which support people who setting up their own business. They helped me create a business plan and generate financing. Then I had to have the wraps tested to meet European standards …

Setting up Colimaçon took a lot of work and energy. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult when I decided to launch my own brand!

RM: What challenges did you face?

AM: There were two big challenges. First, having the wraps tested in accredited testing laboratories to meet the European standards. The standards are drastic and we had to work on the mechanical properties of the material and compulsory labelling for the wraps to be validated.

All these tests, as well as setting up the website cost a lot of money. Banks are not so keen on financing such investments, especially as this was a particularly innovative project. So the second challenge was convincing the bank manager to lend us money!

RM: Where are your customers based?

AM: Most of our customers are based in France. That said, we do get orders from abroad. That’s why we have an English-language online catalogue and provide an English-language user’s guide upon request.

RM: How can our readers contact you to order a wraparound baby carrier?

AM: If you are ordering from France, you can order directly from our website (don’t forget to ask for our English language instructions if necessary!) If you live abroad, it may be easier to contact us directly by email with any queries.

Alternatively, if are a local and would like a baby carrying demonstration and a visit of the workshop in Herbeys, do contact us to make an appointment!

From The Side. Photo: Patrick Gage

Clare Smears runs the English Library at Babel in Grenoble. Grenoble Life wanted to know more about the library collection, the book groups and her background.

Grenoble Life: When and why did you originally come to Grenoble?

Clare Smears: I’m British. I came to Grenoble almost 17 years ago when my husband was offered a job here. Whilst in the UK, I had studied for an MA in Library & Information Studies and I’d worked in various libraries including a trainee year at The British Library in London and as Assistant Young People’s Librarian with Kent County Libraries. Getting involved with The Library at Babel has allowed me to continue what I most enjoy doing – bringing people and books together.

GL: When and why was the library created?

CS: The Library at Babel opened in 2000 as a joint project between three associations – Babel, Open House and Alliance Grenoble-Oxford – following the desire expressed by these associations to provide a centre for readers of English.

Association Babel very generously offered to house the library at their room situated in Grenoble at 2, rue Ste. Ursule in the beautiful courtyard of what was once the Couvent des Minimes.

GL: How is the library run?

CS: The library is run by a small group of volunteers who now open it to the public on five days a week.

GL: How did you come to be involved and what is your role now?

CS: I forget exactly when I got involved with the library – although it was perhaps a year after it first opened. I had been a member of Association Babel for many years so I had seen the library open and develop. The shelves of children’s books were growing rapidly and none of the other volunteers had time to organise and exploit the children’s collection. Because I had previously worked as a Young People’s Librarian, I was asked if I’d be willing to spend some time helping with this collection. I agreed and things just went from there. I now oversee the general day to day running as well as take part in opening to the public etc.

GL: How many books are there and how were they acquired?

CS: We have around 5000 books on the shelves at present. When the Library was started there was a small stock of books from the Open House library and Babel also had a small collection. Since then, the books have been obtained through purchases but mainly through frequent generous donations to the Library. I also obtain many good second hand copies of books through various book exchange sites on the internet.

GL: What type of books can we find in the collection?

CS: There is something for everyone on the shelves – because the majority of our books are from donations they reflect the many different backgrounds and tastes of any reading community.

We have a very varied fiction section for adults featuring classics, modern fiction and many crime and thriller titles. There are also smaller collections of short stories, poetry and plays, and science/fantasy fiction.

For learners of English we have a shelf full of so called “easy readers” – books where the text has been adapted especially for learners of English. There are also dictionaries and other reference books that can be consulted whilst in the library.

The non-fiction selection is just as interesting – biographies, travel writing, history, popular science and economy, craft, cookery and art.

Children and young people of all ages will find something too – fiction and non-fiction from board books for babies up to some of the latest teen reader titles …

GL: Do you update the collection? How do you choose new titles?

CS: The collection tends to update itself every week – thanks to the regular donations we receive!

However, I do try to keep up to date with what’s happening in the publishing world and, where finances allow, we buy new titles particularly when we know it is going to be very popular with the readers – whose tastes we get to know very well. And, of course, we are always open to suggestions so I’ll try to get hold of any book that a reader is looking for if I think it will be of interest to others too …

GL: Who comes to the library?

CS: Our members come from all types of backgrounds and countries – the one thing in common is that they wish to read in English.

As for our ‘French’ members, many have lived and worked in English speaking countries or environments and now enjoy maintaining their English language through reading

GL: Does the library host activities and how can people get information about them?

CS: The Library along with Babel hosts a book discussion group for adults once a month during term time – we try to pick a general topic in relation to books and literature rather than read a book and then discuss it.

I have also recently started a new teenage book group – and been wonderfully surprised by how many young people out there want to get together to read and discuss books.

Anybody seeking further information about these groups can email me directly at association.babel@laposte.net

GL: What advice would you give to book-loving expats new to the city?

CS: Well, obviously, come in and see us at The Library – I’m sure we can provide something for all reading tastes.

However, there are now many ways of obtaining English language books in the city. I especially recommend Patricia Andréoli’s excellent library in Meylan – BAM (Bibliothèque Anglophone de Meylan). Also the newly opened Bookworm Café on rue St. Laurent where you can browse the second hand books on sale as well as enjoy tea and cakes.

I feel it is up to the English reading public in Grenoble to give their full support to projects such as these.

GL: What’s next for the library?

CS: Later in the year we hope to hold another of our very popular book sales where we try to pass on spare books for the very reasonable price of 0,50 cents or 1 €.

GL: What are the opening hours and membership terms for the library?

CS: During school term-time, the library opens 5 days a week at the following times: Monday: 4–5.30, Tuesday: 12.15–1.45, Wednesday: 4.30–6, Thursday 4–6 and Saturday 2.30–5.30. Normally have to ring the outside bell marked Babel and wait for someone to open the door on rue Ste Ursule.

During holiday periods, we try to open every Wednesday afternoon from 4–6pm.

Members of the three founding associations have automatic free membership to the library.

Anyone wanting to join the library alone is asked to pay an annual membership fee of 15 euros for individuals in employment or families or 7,50 € for students / retired / unemployed.

However, as in all things, we try to be as flexible as possible – so, for example, we have reduced rates for anyone who is in the area for only a short period.

Each member can borrow 4–5 books for a month but again we are very flexible about the amount of books and the return dates – there are no fines for overdue books. One member who lives in La Côte St. André comes with a suitcase and borrows books for several months!

GL: How can we find out more, donate books etc …

CS: To find out more, please feel free to come and see us during the library opening hours or contact me personally by email at association.babel@laposte.net

Kelly Rigotti writes Almost Frugal, a blog about being smart with your spending, saving and money goals. As probably the only American living in France writing about frugal living, we invited her to share her personal finance tips for her adopted home town of Grenoble. Part I in the series is about food.

by Kelly Rigotti

Although I’ve been writing about frugality and learning how to be frugal since late 2007, this is the first time I’m writing a post about frugality from a local perspective. My blog is called Almost Frugal and most of my readers live in English-speaking countries, especially the United States. I’m American and I’ve lived in Grenoble since January 2000 and I think it’s safe to say that I’m the only American blogging about personal finance and frugality in Grenoble. I could be wrong, but I bet I have the niche covered!

Although I do talk about living in France and the challenges of trying to handle money as an expat (especially paying back my American student loans, most of the topics I cover on Almost Frugal are general enough that anyone can relate to them, no matter where they live. I’m really excited though, to finally be able to talk about frugality and living frugally in my (adopted) city, Grenoble. Today I’ll be talking about the best places to spend less on groceries.

Groceries can make up a significant part of any household’s budget. Certain French grocery chains, such as Lidl or ED are relatively inexpensive, but they don’t always have the best quality food (although I’ve never gone wrong with their canned goods, juice or wine selections). I prefer to take advantage of fidelity programs from stores like Carrefour, Géant or LeClerc. The fidelity programs from all three of these stores are free to join, and if you don’t mind your personal shopping habits being mined by the stores for information, you can recoup significant discounts on your grocery shopping.

Carrefour’s fidelity program offers discounts of 5% on their store brand products, as well as other discounts on time-limited promotions. Often these promotions don’t give the best, cheapest option, but every once in a while Carrefour will have a doozy of a sale – buy one get two free and so on. Carrefour does not put the store credit on your card, instead it mails you a fidelity check at the end of every month, good for use on your next shopping trip.

Géant is the most expensive of the three stores I’m talking about here, and in my opinion, the one with the worst customer service. But it does have one of the best selections of expat foods (Campell soup, anyone) and so I brave the high prices and rude salespeople every once in a while to stock up. Like most grocery stores, Géant will often have loss leaders: products priced quite low to get you in the store to buy everything else. As a side note, did you know that it is illegal in France for supermarkets to price products below cost? Supermarkets are not allowed to lose money on their stock. This is why you won’t find any true bargains at a French supermarket- it would be illegal.

The best supermarket, in my opinion, for customer discounts, is the LeClerc supermarket in the Espace Comboire shopping center in the town of Echirolles. Unlike Carrefour or Géant, which are both chain stores, LeClerc is a series of licensed franchises. This means that the discounts and promotional offers found at one store might not necessarily be found at another.

The LeClerc in Espace Comboire has a series of great, ongoing promotions, a different one for every day of the week. The best is Thursday’s, when, for every €50 of goods purchased you get €5 in store credit on your fidelity card. Combined with other in-store promotions, I often manage to save €20 or more per shopping trip.

Unlike the United States, France is not big on coupons. You will find them every once in a while, either on your register receipt at the grocery store, or as a manufacturer’s coupon, but there isn’t the overwhelming coupon mentality here as in the United States.

Another excellent way to save money in your grocery bill is by buying online – this way you can keep an eye on your total as you go and save money on gas. Both Carrefour (called Ooshop) and the Intermarché in Seyssins have online delivery services. Depending on where you live the delivery charge can be free to quite expensive.

If you’re looking for bio (organic) or locally sourced food, then there are two good online options, neither of which is very expensive and both of which deliver. The first is called The Label Bio and sells a variety of organic and local food. I like them because they sell preselected baskets (panniers) of a variety of food – whatever is in season for €12 to €55 depending on the size and selection of the contents. The second is called The Pannier de Johanna and although they don’t sell preselected baskets of food, they have a wide variety of products to choose from, from patés to flour, all locally sourced or organic.

Here are some of my favorite posts on Almost Frugal on saving money, food and frugality:

Food Shopping and Menu Planning
Stretch Your Food Budget
Your Favorite Frugal Food

Bio: Kelly Rigotti is American and has lived in France for a lot longer than she thought she would when she first arrived. As well as writing about frugality at Almost Frugal, she has a day job as a marketing and communication consultant. In her spare time, she attempts to ride herd over her three children, four cats and handsome French frog of a husband. You can follow her at Almost Frugal, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Maria Montessori

Martine Grzelack runs The Montessori International School of Grenoble, opening September 2009. Grenoble Life wanted to know more about the new centre, the background of the staff and the famous Montessori method.

Grenoble Life: When does the Montessori International School of Grenoble open and what is your role?

Martine Grzelack: In September 2009, we’ll be lucky to find a bilingual Montessori School in the suburbs of Grenoble. It will be situated in Meylan. This school will enable children to study and work while developing their personality. My mission will be to look after the children and to run this school so that everything works out well to the benefit of everyone.

GL: What is the Montessori method?

MG: The Montessori International School of Grenoble is a private school, ruled by a not-for-profit association (association loi 1901).

The school curriculum follows the French national education programmes for early childhood and primary schools.

Committed to the highest education standards, the school proposes a bilingual curriculum in French and in English.

The MIG team will provide an individual learning experience for each child, which promotes physical, social, emotional and intellectual development to help them achieve their maximum potential.

Following the Montessori requirements, the children are dispatched into two age groups: 3 to 6 years old (early childhood) and 6 to 12 years old (elementary).

GL: What is your experience with using this method?

MG: I have been working for six years according to the Montessori pedagogy. First, I attended a teaching practice course at the Centre de recherche d’études de formation et de liaison des activités Montessori (CRELAM) in Rennes – a French institute which doesn’t grant an Association Montessori Internationale diploma. Then, I went to Switzerland to obtain an AMI diploma for children from 6 to 12. This method enables the children to open out in their development while being in the pleasure of learning and discovering. Children gain an autonomy and maturity which enables them to make choices.

GL: Why did you originally train to teach the Montessori method?

MG: I discovered this pedagogy while thinking about the educational system in France. Coming from a very different horizon – I graduated as a geologist – I wanted to work with children after having worked with engineers-to-be (I was in charge of professional training in my firm).

After preparing the examinations to be a school teacher, I realized that the “group pedagogy” wasn’t satisfying for me. I looked for something different. Some friends had their son in a Montessori school and that’s how this wonderful adventure started.

GL: What age groups do you teach at the Montessori International School of Grenoble?

MG: The International Montessori School is open to children from 3 to 12 years old. They are dispatched in groups of three or six years according to Maria Montessori’s method. It is important not to keep a child exclusively in his or her age group.

GL: How does the methodology differ from that used in the French state schools for these age groups?

What is different from the French school is mainly the learning approach through the senses, with the help of the adequate and attractive equipment created by Maria Montessori herself. Moreover, the work in classes with mixed ages enables each child to learn with pleasure because there are no barriers between the different learning activities.

Montessori International School of Grenoble

GL: Do you have classes in French and English? Will these classes be taught separately?

MG: In each class, there is a French teacher and an English speaking assistant who participates throughout the school day. The teachers offer help to the children that ask for it in their mother tongue, in order to encourage interest in languages. There will also be Spanish classes organized.

GL: Why has it been decided to open a school here in Grenoble?

MG: I wanted to work in a school where the pedagogy is adapted to each child and gives them what they need academically for their future studies. I want to be able to share with these families a teaching method which deeply respects the child as an individual and as a learner.

GL: What is the profile of the parents who have registered their children to come to the school?

MG: The parents who send their children to a Montessori school come from different backgrounds: managerial staff in large firms, teachers at “public” schools, professional workers, employees, people working in tertiary industries … they have varied profiles but they have the same aim: their children’s well-being.

GL: Tell us about the teaching team.

MG: The teaching team is composed of two educators with an international Montessori diploma and an English or French speaking assistant according to the class. It is a dynamic team, very motivated to help the children improve, respectful of the Montessori pedagogy.

GL: Will you have recruitment opportunities in the future? What are the advantages of working at Montessori International School of Grenoble?

MG: Yes, we hope that we’ll have to recruit next year, or in two years to open new class. Why not offer children the opportunity to learn another language like German for example … but we don’t want the school to lose its soul by recruiting too many pupils or staff. We thank you for these questions.

GL: You’re welcome, thank you!

The Montessori International School of Grenoble
Boulevard des Alpes, 38240 Meylan
+33 6 72 66 76 32
ecole@montessori-grenoble.com

Communication Café kids painting

Reia Farrall – Bilingual Education in Grenoble

The battle has been won for the moment … with my husband constantly speaking to our daughters in French and I in English (and having an amazing English nounou one day a week), and with regular visits from respective grandparents: our children appear to be bilingual and quite happy in either French or English. Now, we are just about to embark on making that all-important ‘next’ decision that seems to affect English-speaking families in Grenoble – which primary school will our children go to? Do we leave them in their local school? Do we put them in La Houille Blanche: where English is taught for one hour for a day, but has a competitive entrance; and would require a lot of organisation for getting ourselves together to get there? I really enjoy the fact that my girls can go to their local school, so that they can still be with the friends from their local area. And given the lack of resources, the teachers and school where our girls go do amazing things with 30+ in their nursery school classes.

However, being a teacher, and having specific ideas on the ways in which I would like our girls to learn, I do sometimes feel a little battered by the French school experience where the girls are consistently assessed according to the ‘norm’ of what French students should know at certain ages. I know that us English-speaking people are often criticised for our ‘positive reinforcement‘ – but I feel that it is lacking a little in my daughters’ education.

Education for me is not just about learning facts. Knowledge is important but education is also about showing our children the different paths that they can follow in life, and how to think for themselves. A school education should help our children to become dignified human beings, respectful of others, conscious that we live in an interconnected world where our decisions affect not just ourselves. The question as a teacher becomes how to encourage ‘learning’ and to help students discover the individual intrinsic worth of each person and themselves.

So rather than worry about the fact that I feel the French system is not doing this and put our girls into another French school, my friend Zoë Atkinson – a speech therapist – and I have taken the plunge and set up an association called Communication Café to help our children learn English. We want our children to embrace their dual cultures, to learn English in a way that we both feel helps our children’s confidence in themselves, and with positive reinforcement. We want to above all encourage our children’s English language development, to help our children feel good about themselves, and to meet other children like them. So it looks like it is not the French system at La Houille Blanche for now…

Results!

Zoë Atkinson – Speaking English in Grenoble: a speech therapist’s view

As far as French cities go, I feel lucky being in Grenoble as an English-speaker, the town being cosmopolitan and open-minded beyond its size. Being an English-speaker has not caused me many problems, apart from the occasional blank when faced with needing to talk about something beyond my French experience. So knowing that my child was going to be French, and not English like myself, didn’t pose as much of a problem for me as it did for their grandparents! Most people react positively when they know that my three year old can speak French and English almost fluently (even if a little mixed up!). I, however, have a few reservations.

Being Mum to a bilingual child, I wanted my daughter to have the chance to mix with other kids in English, to be comfortable with the English part of her identity, and to learn to read and write in English. To summarise, I wanted her to be able to make the most of her opportunity to be bilingual and for it to not be an embarrassment to her. If ever we need to go back to an English-speaking country, I would like her to be able to re-integrate without difficulty.

Being a speech therapist, I was aware that bilingual children integrated into French schools and, learning English at home only, may miss out on academic vocabulary that they would learn in French in school (concepts relating to specific subjects, such as maths, science, technology, religious study or art). I also felt that their use of English is often restricted, and that kids may find it difficult to speak to other kids in English. The French sound system is also different to the English, which affects the ability of bilingual kids to learn how to read and write in English.

Communication Café

Communication Café

We created the Communication Café association to provide another solution to our English-speaking frustrations in Grenoble. We currently run groups in English for children who have at least one English-speaking parent. We start young with Baby-Signing for 0-2 year olds and offer classes for ‘Maternelle’ and Primary ages. We have small groups, with fun theme-based sessions. For the ‘Maternelle-aged’ kids, we have adapted communication objectives taken from speech therapy, plus the foundation objectives from the British National-Curriculum. For the Primary ages, we have adapted objectives from the British National Curriculum, primarily English, but we also dip into other subject objectives with themes that suit those subjects.

Here is a quote from one of our mothers:

I can’t put in words properly the joy we share, watching Oscar spotting English words and wanting to read them and seeing the flash of satisfaction and brightness across his face when he “gets it”. I cant pin point exactly why or how, but it seems you have given him a quiet, assured confidence to try and have fun with words and seeing that confidence develop within him is very rewarding – so thank you very much to you both. Oscar has always been a very curious person but sometimes can lack true confidence to give things a try. So, seeing this natural confidence with words evolve in Oscar is a parental pleasure money can’t buy, if you know what I mean.

Reia Farrall is an Australian-qualified teacher. She has lived in Grenoble for six years, is married to a Frenchman and has two daughters. She currently teaches at Grenoble University at the Institut d’études Politiques. Zoë Atkinson is a UK qualified Speech and Language Therapist. She moved to Grenoble in 2000 with her French partner, and has a daughter. For more information visit our website or contact us via info@communication-cafe.com. Additionally, the Babel association offers English classes for children from English-speaking families: association.babel@laposte.net

Reia Farrall at work

What's French for 'ga ga' again?

Looking down on the improbably cherubic face of my week-old daughter I already find myself pondering her future. As a Brit who’s been living in Grenoble for nearly two and a half years, and married to a genuinely bilingual wife, there are some important decisions to be made soon concerning the language of our child. I’m making slow but steady progress in French although my wife and I normally converse in English. We met at University in the UK and we spent most of our first six years together in England. There was no effort – language-wise – on her part: she grew up near Grenoble in a bicultural household with a French father and an English mother. Despite having grown up in France my wife has strong roots in the UK, particularly Greater Manchester, where her mother comes from and where she spent all of her summers and Christmases since birth.

However, now that we live in France it is difficult to make the transition to speaking French together. We do sometimes, but it never progresses far beyond the pedagogic and often lapses into English if we want to refer to the numerous cultural shared references and jokes that resist translation. The other major excuse factor counting against my accelerated progress is the fact that I teach English for a living, and whereas I come into regular contact with French, in principle I am not allowed to use my students’ native language as it is contrary to the methods employed by the school at which I work (and indeed most theories of language learning). Thus, of all the knowledge I am likely to impart to my daughter, naturally pronounced (or even, for the moment, fluent) French is not one of them. Nor should it be of course. My daughter will grow up in France and no doubt have no difficulties assimilating the language.

One of the overlooked factors of language is its synonymousness with culture. My daughter will be three quarters British by blood and naturally I expect her to be bilingual but also bicultural, to embrace the British side of her identity as much as the French, more or less in the same way that my wife was able to do. My wife’s family had specific rules about language in the household that remain today: she speaks to her parents in their respective mother tongues, to one of her two brothers in English and the other in French. These bonds are hard to break or to invert: language is after all emotional too – which might be a good reason she and I found it difficult to make a meaningful switch to French.

Grenoble being very international, there are a number of organisations sprouting for Children to learn English. These range from associations which aim to support the needs of parents of mixed nationality, for example The Communication Café (more from them soon!), to those – such as the franchise Les Petits Bilingues – which offer predominantly French children a head start on the school system. The latter camp owe their existence less to Grenoble’s Anglophone base as to the increasing importance of English as a core requirement in the diplôme-centric French job market. Whereas such organisations do no harm, the word bilingual or bilingue is often misused as a selling point to French parents who want to give their children the best possible start in life. Bilingual is clearly not the right word. In my (unscientific) opinion it is practically impossible to be genuinely bilingual without growing up in a bicultural environment. Semantics aside, the traditionally globalisation-resistant French are getting pragmatic about the world’s international language.

Initially we discussed the idea of speaking to our daughter in different tongues: English individually with me, French for my wife, and English as a family. However, the early signs are that my wife feels more comfortable speaking English to our daughter, as that is what seems most natural in the context of our relationship. This may change but it will certainly not be to the detriment of our child. Where it leaves me is another question. I’m not overly worried about my abilities in French, it will come with time, but I may not get the kind of exposure to the language that I had envisaged before my arrival in the country.

It has been said to me on several occasions that I will never feel French, significantly by long-term ex-patriots fluent in the language. I agree: fluency in a language doesn’t necessarily amount to complete cultural integration. Having grown up in multicultural London, it has taken me time to adapt to the notion of my own otherness: I was surprised by what a curious specimen I seem to be to the Grenoblois. Being French wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows in the UK, I imagine. There are times when I feel like the French are from a completely different planet, though I’m sure the feeling is mutual (at least where I live). However, it is with a small modicum of sadness that my daughter will feel French, perhaps (but not necessarily) more than she feels English, and that will make me a little exception to the rule in my little bilingual household.

What is certain is that my wife and I can give my daughter a rich future accented by the best of France and Britain (perhaps meaning a British sense of humour and taste in music, with French taste buds and Gallic good looks!). We must be disciplined, but we shouldn’t be overly anxious. Unlike many couples of mixed nationality my wife and I have the advantage of both being native English speakers. I just hope that by starting a family in France, I will feel less and less étranger and increasingly at home.

There is a fair amount of literature on the web concerning bilingualism, from personal experiences to practical help, none of it particularly conclusive. However, there seems to be a general consensus that there are two principal methods to bringing up your child bilingually: 1) one parent, one language; 2) speak the minority language at home. Your opinions on the most effective are most welcome.