We build bridges in France. And I’m not talking about the structures that allow us to cross from one side of a river to another—although we do of course have plenty of those, some of which are pretty famous, like the one in Avignon where we dance in circles (and cannot actually cross!). The bridges I’m talking about are symbolic ones that allow us to connect a public holiday to a weekend. If, for instance, the holiday falls on a Thursday, we build a bridge by taking the Friday off work.
It’s been almost 20 years since I left France but the notion of bridge building came back to me suddenly yesterday as I was sitting in the airport in Toronto having just learned that my connecting flight to New York had been delayed. My hope of arriving back in New York at a decent hour evaporated and I wondered if I should maybe take today off, build a little bridge, and come back to work fresh as a daisy on Monday. I thought about it, but I didn’t do it.
And why didn’t I? Well, quite simply because it’s impossible.
First, it’s impossible because at the start of school year we introduced a new tradition for The École staff—every Friday, breakfast is provided by the school. We are greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked pastries—and there’s no way I’m missing that. Secondly, it’s impossible because Friday is the day we find out how the Houses are doing in Elementary and Middle School—the points are displayed on the screen in the lobby. And the anticipation on the kids’ faces as they rush to find out how their house is faring is another thing that can’t be missed (the Red House has inched ahead for the second week running). Thirdly, Friday is also the day when relieved Elementary parents get to recover the sweaters their kids continuously leave at school when we wheel out the Lost and Found stand. Fourthly, it’s impossible because it’s when Fawzia wishes us all a happy Friday. And finally, it’s impossible because Friday is the day I sit down to write my weekly letter.
I don’t know if the colleagues I met in Ottawa were as happy as I was to go back to their schools this morning after a few days absence. Running a school can be a difficult job; at times it can be exhausting. On a daily basis, we have to find the right balance between offering a pedagogical experience that our entire community is behind and also making sure we are meeting the needs of each individual member of that same community: guiding our students, supporting our teachers, reassuring, convincing, organizing, and making decisions (which might very well disappoint at least half of those who are impacted!) Faced with the overwhelming nature of the task at hand, one could sometimes feel like building a bridge.
I was tired this morning and my Citibike seemed to weigh a ton. Under the grey sky, 6th Avenue, littered with trash, wasn’t at its best either. It was only when I reached The École that I felt like myself again—there is a special energy and dynamism here that revives me. It’s true every day of the week, but I really needed to see you all this morning to remind me why I love what I do.
Thank you one and all for the good you do me.
Have an excellent weekend and remember that next week we’re closed on Wednesday for Yom Kippur—and that even in France a two-day bridge is a bridge too far!