Schools, Diversity and Bananes Flambées

The original home of the International School of Brussels.  These days they have a new, modern building.

That fall Marie-Juliette and Charles were enrolled in the International School of Brussels (ISB).  It was an English language school with everyday classes in French. In the first few weeks the children were given a language test and were put in an “English for Foreigners” class.  At first, they resented this because they were AMERICANS.  While we lived in Verona, I spoke to the children in English but as the years passed we began to use more and more Italian with a good smattering of French.   It was explained to me that the children’s English was weak in “school vocabulary.”  I’d been telling them to brush their teeth and eat their spinach but we hadn’t discussed erupting volcanos, multiplication tables or through vs. though.  

Charles particularly had problems.  He had just learned to decipher reading and writing in Italian and now he had to transfer those skills to English.  He found it so stressful that he began to write a mirror image of his name.  Eventually, this propensity righted itself.

ISB was truly international.  There were a large number of American kids but also children from all over the world.  I felt this diversity provided a healthy environment for the children.  There was no dress code, no “in” hair style, no popular brand of sneakers.  For lunch kids brought onigiri (Japanese rice balls), or couscous and tagine, or strips of meat with sweet-potato fritters or peanut butter and jelly.  Along with these outward signs of diversity, there were a myriad of different ways of thinking, acting and reacting. 

We think we’re diversified here in the States but the truth is we live in a homogeneous society.  Target, Walmart, advertising and TV create a uniform way of dressing and living. I suppose we could say that these days, the Internet is creating a homogeneous global society?

Ecole communale de Mont-St-Jean - Waterloo

Meanwhile Kristin(11) and Christopher(5) were enrolled in the francophone local school (Ecole Communale de Mont-St-Jean).  This was a scary experience for Kristin but she was a real little trouper.  Before arriving in Belgium she had never studied French so imagine how challenging those first weeks were. I particularly remember her math notebook.  The teacher stressed neatness above all else; straight columns of numbers and the work written in ink.  No erasing and going back. 

Christopher was in kindergarten.  He understood French and was reasonably fluent, but he had a period of adjustment as well.  I remember that in kindergarten, the children came home for lunch.  After a sandwich or soup, Chris always wanted me to make him bananes flambées.  I would sauté the bananas, sprinkle with sugar, add a few spoonfuls of rum, strike a match and light it up.  I felt a little guilty about this ritual. I don't know whether he loved the syupy bananas or the flames.  Hopefully, he didn’t go back and tell his teacher I was serving him rum for lunch!