Let's
have a party! -
a
children's tale
The
whole class is very fond of Angélique, the teacher.
When
she looks at her pupils, every one of them feels that he is the nicest,
the wisest and that encourages them to listen and concentre, to do his work well. In fact, they quickly
understood that they were all her favourite.
Yesterday
evening, just before the bell rang, while they all have their backs turned to take their
coats from the langers, she wrote
on the board in large letters:
"On
FRIDAY, let's have a party"
Eric was
the first to turn round and to see it.
"Ho! friends! look at what is written!"
They all shouted, jumped with joy, asked what was this party for, but the
teacher refused to say anything else.
"It is a secret! You will
see!"
She merely specified that Friday morning, they should be on time an quiet. They
all went home rather puzzled.
Amandine met her
neighbour, Peppo, the musician.
"Tell
me Peppo, what it is, for you, a great party? "
- a
great party? It is when I play my banjo with many happy people around me". |
In the meantime, Gilles and
Sebastien, two close buddies push the door of Mrs Testut, the baker.
- "A
great party, my darling? It's nice
children listening to a story without any quarrels".
Jean-Pierre asks Roger
his older cousin, who answers him
without hesitating:
-
"A great party? It is when the
music is blaring and you can dance, laugh, walk on the hands, to impress the girls..."
- Stop! stop! I've
got it!"
Passing the flower shop, Consuelo and her
friends saw Mrs Jean very busy, amidsts the roses, the primulas and the
tulips:
- "A great party, my
darlings? Well you need flowers of course! " |
Magaly met Audrey, who works in a smart
hotel.
-
"A great party? Oh, I know that! People
are wearing the best clothes, they speak to each other while drinking champagne
and eating canapés".
|
All
children have got their own idea, and they met the following day, during
the break, the head full with ideas. "Ah, she did'nt want to tell us what
a party is! Well, let's give her a big surprise!" They are young, but they can be
organized, the teacher will be surprised!
Friday morning, they are there, well on time, with all that
it is necessary for a grat party: Amandine brings Peppo and his guitar, Gilles, Sebastien, Marina and Kevin bring brioche, wafers and candies,
Simone carefully holds the large book of tales by Grimm that
granny lent her.
|
Jean-Pierre, who
practise with his cousin Roger, astonished everyone by walking on hands. Fatima,
Consuelo and Agnès have prepared garlands
of branches and flowers.
All the girls were beautifully dressed, and they are very proud of the
touch of red that Audrey has put on the cheeks (the boys sneer, of course!)
At
half past eight, the bell rings. Their teacher was waiting inside, she opens the
door of the
class lets them in.
" Ah!!! "
It is the same cry of astonishment on
both sides, all are
amazed as everything has changed in the room.
The tables were placed along the walls, people they do not
know are there, in front of six computers, with their keyboards and their mice.
The teacher explains:
"
Today, it is french language day, and so that the
children who speak French or who learn it can communicate from all over the
world, these specialists have set up these machines. "
In schools, in Montreal, in Niamey, in Geneva, in Beirut, in Tokyo... people have prepared the same
thing. From
their class, pupils like you will be
able to communicate with you. You will type in turn on the keyboard
what you wish to say. Don't be afraid, we'll
help you ".
The children are
gaping:
" Go
ahead! - No you, go! - Magaly! you are good at French! -
But I cannot type! - Then Kevin! - Oh, I don't know what to say! -
anything that's all! No says Sebastien one does'nt say anything to people! I go."
He sits down and starts: "Hello, the World, here's,
Sebastien, I am nine, and you?
|
- Here, Dakar, it is Mamadou, I am ten years
old.
-
Here, Leila, from Cairo...
|
Here, Stephan,
from Ottawa...
|
Here,
Luisella, in Florence.
|
- Here,
from Saint-Denis de la Réunion, it is Cécile.
- Here,
Panayotis, of Thessaloniki... Here... Here... Here... "
From the four corners of
the planet, the answers are coming.
- The
pupils feel that the Earth has became as small, as
merry as their classroom, and that it is filled with friends. They are no
longer afraid of the keyboard, nor of making spelling mistakes, they're
bursting with ideas, they want all to say something.
-
I have two older brothers, what about you? -
|
- I've
got ten, I am the youngest. |
-
Do you love dogs? I have one, it's my friend. |
-I have a monkey and a mongoose -
|
-
Here, in France, it's winter, what about you? |
-In
Brazzaville, it is the rain season, each evening, after six o'clock, there's a large tornado. Simone has taken her book and tells
Yukako and
Farid: " Once upon a time who had a splendid pear tree with golden
fruit..." |
They all have
something to say, it is marvellous.
All the same, after a
while, they are tired.
"What about
our party?
-This is a good idea! "
Consuelo, Fatima and Agnès have already decorated the walls with their garlands, Gilles and his friends offer their candies, Jean-Pierre and his friends
perform their tricks, under the eye filled with wonder of all their friends,
it's a real success.
|
Then,
Peppo takes his guitar and starts to sing:
"I want to teach the world,
To sing in perfect harmony..."
|
Joelle
Llapasset - Jacqueline Masson - Translation C.
Chastagner
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