Language, dear oh dear.

Part of my time on holiday at Twickenham has been spent reading Le Monde, Le Figaro and the readings for Lenten Masses in French. There was never any doubt that I would pass my New South Wales HSC exam (then called the Leaving Certificate) in French. I was helped that oral French was not required in this state in 1952, at least.

However, when I came to France in 2002 I realsied how much Frech I did not know. I certainly know much more now and can often enough carry on some conversations in French. On quite a few topics, there is much too-ing and fro-ing. One of my problems is picking up the French sounds, but I also have problems picking up English sounds the waysome English, Irish and Scottish people use them. If only thery spoke with an Aussie accent!

The medium of communication and teaching is overwhelmingly English, and the main examination we head for is the most challenging and most highly-regarded English examination, the International Cambridge A levels, and on the way the International Cambridge GCSE and AS levels. We have had some great results at these exams. For example, two sons of teachers, boys who had just a few months before turning ten years obtained A stars. They were a litle too young to be taught at the college, attended the local Catholic French school, and studied English at the college on Wednesdays.

French primary schools do not have school on Wednesdays, their middle schools have either no school on Wednesday or a half-day, and high schools have no school on Wednesday afternoons.

I would say perhaps, 90% of our pupils have obtained A stars in French. I can remember only one boy not obtaining at least a B at French, and there were good reasons why this happened. One of the students at our sister school of La Bonne Nouvelle, came for only one term before returning as arranged when she was enroled for highly regarded Geelong Grammar School, Prince Charles, old school in Australia, and is topping her class in French, the last I heard.

It is a puzzle to me why more English-speaking students, who are looking for a Catholic education where their faith will be protected and strengthened by the example of staff and students, and want to have a second, and even a third language, do not give Chavagnes a try for at least a year or two or preferably much more. Researchers, professionals in many fields, business people and those seeking a wider perspective in life, are enormously enriched by a really good knowlege of another language.

Some of the boys were 12 years of age amd others who sat, with great success for the French examinations well before the usual age for doing so. We have other boys, not natives of the countries in question, who can speak Spanish and German fluently, and sat for examination in these subjects well before time with great success. I have travelled from Stansted to Liverpool Street enjoying hearing one of our 12 year-old past English students speaking fluently in Spanish to a Spanish family. He did not know any Spanish before he came to Chavagnes less than two years before.

As for the French boys who come to the college they learn to speak and write English in a year, and one can talk to them about anything in English as easily as speaking to the Englsih boys. At the end of two years these boys, who are as young as 11 when they arrive, they are delightedt to be speaking English fluently. One Spanish boys obtined a high grade, in A level English, and graduated to be now studying International Law at a prestigious Spanish university near his home in Pamplona now.

Of course, the students mentioned above and all the students at the college benefit immeasurably in other ways through their immersion in a number of languages and acqaintance with other European Catholic cultures.

St Patrick's Day

There is an article in this morning about Trappatoni, the Italian manager of the Irish soccer team for the World Cup. Everything has been going well for him and Irealnd so far. His birthday is St Patrick's Day.

We had a very enjoyable celebration for St Patrick's Day on March 17th. Chavagnes, no doubt is the place to be to celebrate feast days. St David's Day, St Andrew's Day, St Geroge's Day, St Cecilia's Day (the Patroness of music) are just some of the celebrations which are celebrated by a party with music, concert, party games etc as appropriate for the feast.

On St Patrick's Day, the dining room and tables had plenty of green, Irish flags etc. Hail Glorious St Patrick, the Breasplate of St patrick, and numerous Irish songs resounded around the college with the usual joy and pride found throughout Ireland and the English-speaking world on that day. "The Wild Colonial Boy", an Australian Irish song, was one of the songs which rent the air.

My father was Irish and I am very proud of having dual citizenship. You know year after year the weather on St patrick's Day, to the very best of my memory, has been glorious wherever I have been and has matched my joy on this wonderful day.

I love many things about St Patrick and I have always felt very close to him, the saint whose name I took at Confirmation. One of the great reasons I love him is because of his great love for souls. He wanted to work and pray to save souls, and dedicated his life to doing so. He was kidnapped from probably Wales as a boy of about 12, These Irish pirates sold him into a life of slavery. The souls of the people who were responsible for this cruelty were so appreciated by him, he escaped, was ordained bishop returned to Ireland. He recognised the value of each soul and left no stone unturned to save as many souls as he could there with wonderful results which have lasted, not only in Ireland, right up to the present day.

St Patrick thank you and please please for Ireland and for souls throughout the world. Please say a special prayer for Chavagnes International College

I am gradually, very gradually, learning more about these so and so blogs.

Yesterday I shared some relfections about Mr Greg Morrison, a dynamic RE teacher, English, history and other teacher at the college. Of course, in a boarding school, life involves much more than teaching. Greg, as well as being an enthusiastic member of the choir, comprising virtuallyall of the boys and some staff, is a housemaster with pastoral responsibilities for the members of his house in particular, works three days a week in the sporting programme at the college, and has supervision duties etc.

The other housemasters are Messrs Jospeh Aldridge, Adrian Moore and David Senosian. These too have numerous duties similar to those of Mr Morrison. and like him are excellent role models for the boys both as sincere devoted Catholics and as young men. Joe and Adrian waited back on Saturday for a day before returning to their homes in Wales and Scotland for the three week long Easter vacation. Why? Both did not want to be travelling when Wales played Irealnd and Scotland met England in the last round of the six nation rugby.

Both would be disappointed at the results of these games, paticularly Joe as Wales went withingn a whisker of winning the championship and, after an excellent campaign, the vagaries of the points system resulted in the really powerful Welsh team finishing only fourth. The boys, who generally speaking love their rugby will have something to say to their highly repected maths teacher and sportsmaster about this. So will the other housemasters who all have great sense of humour, and as always among the young teachers here work marvellously as a vibrant community.

One of the great ways God has blessed Chavagnes year after year has been in the quality of its young teachers. Their classes have been small, and the boys are helped in their studies by people who leave no stone unturned to help them. They have been absolutely devoted to their task, have been motivated by their Catholic faith in doing so; theyhave worked for very little financial benefit.

Three former young staff are now in seminaries and others, like, several past sudents, have been prominent in Catholic life in parish and universities. Mr Senosian is active in the neo-catechumenate, and has attended more than one World Youth Day, including that in in Sydney last year. Mr Paul Jacobs has also attended a couple of World Youth Days. Mr Adrian Moore has worked for the Bishops of England and Wales for a year, and Mr Aldridge was recommended to Chavagnes by his parish priest and has been in every way worthy of this recommendation.

I cannot speak too highly of the wonderful young staff who have devoted their time to the college at different times in its history. I can confidently say that there is no more devoted staff anywhere. By the way, they very much helped to keep me young too, and I am most grateful for this.

testing

Off for Easter today