Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Ahhh, Those Frenchmen

A while back I posted about one of my students who got stuck in France after Pesach because of the volcano that exploded. He finally made it back to the US and, being serious about doing well in his classes, he asked to meet with me to go over some of the material he missed.

As it turns out I had to be in school on Mother's Day to meet with a different student whose schedule and mine precluded anything but a Sunday meeting. Since I was coming into school to meet with that student, I told my French student that I'd meet with him as well, and we did.

Last night, at the end of class, this student approached my desk, put down a package and offered a merci beaucoup. In the package was a thank you note and wishes for a happy mothers day, along with a scrumptious box of chocolates. You can make whatever remarks you want about French politics, but there is a very real reason why women smile when they say of someone "He's French." Manners and charm? Mais oui. And a truly lovely ending to a long day.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know you aren't seeing it that way but are you sure he wasn't just being smart and angling for a higher grade? You know, the way to a teachers heart is through her chocolate way?

Miriam said...

Hard to keep the prejudice from showing, but just try imagining a gesture like that from a born and bred NY yeshiva boy.

Enjoy the chocolates!

Anonymous said...

Just so you know that there are some Americans with this trait, I work with a man (born and bred in the greater NYC area) who always thanks and acknowledges staff for any extra effort with chocolates, treats, flowers, a gift card, tickets to a game, etc. A little bit of acknowledgement goes a long way.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:11 -- yes, there always is the risk of looking like a suck up when someone in a subordinate position (i.e. a student) gives a gift to someone in a superior position (i.e. a teacher). The best way for a student to thank a teacher is to show up for class on time, be prepared and be engaged, and then give the cholocates after the grades are in.

Steve said...

Aw lighten up here folks! The post wasn't making a complaint about the gift and it seems like the writer liked the gift. So maybe we could just assume that someone has been raised right and wanted to say thank you in a way that the receiver might appreciate. Pretty sad if we have to assume that a gift of chocolates is a bribe for a mark.

Rena said...

If he's single I can think of a few dozen girls who would appreciate these kinds of manners. I'll bet he still holds open the door for his dates.