What do you think?

[Kitty]

One of our children had an interview for a school yesterday (un college) and so there we were, my husband, our (freshly bathed and well dressed) child and me in the Head's office - all of us British and bilingual, with our child feeling more French than British these days.

The Head was telling us about how the children do 3 hours sport on Wednesday afternoon, mainly badminton, athletics and footbal.  So I asked if they did rugby.

"Yes" said the Head, with a straight face, "between 12 and 1 on a Tuesday but the English (sic) Rugby Association has decreed that no English child can play rugby in France any more because France won the cup."

I looked at him and asked if he was he teasing us and he replied yes and he laughed out aloud.  Well, we laughed out of politeness.  But none of us know what to think now it's the moming after the interview.  It wasn't the only 'joke' that the Head made about 'les anglais' at the interview.  It was weird.  Not very Head-like.  Perplexing.

Your thoughts please would be welcome.

[Chancer]

Dont prejudge him, having a sense of humour does not stop him from doing a good job, now you have, how do we say? a certain complicité between you which to my mind can only be a good thing for the future and you should build on it.

Being dressed up and the head acting with reserve and authority are all subtle barriers to effective communication.

[mint]

What a delightful headmaster!  Do you think he'll accept me in his school, if I promised to sit at the back of the lowest form?

[Swissie]

Agree with Chancer and Sweet - give him a chance- and I'd much rather have a Head with a sense of humour than without!

[Kitty]

[quote user="sweet 17"]What a delightful headmaster!  Do you think he'll accept me in his school, if I promised to sit at the back of the lowest form?[/quote]

He didn't have very good things to say about the Welsh (at rugby) either Sweets.  And as you and I know, your man and mine are very proud of their Glamorgan roots.

[Kitty]

[quote user="Chancer"]

Dont prejudge him, having a sense of humour does not stop him from doing a good job, now you have, how do we say? a certain complicité between you which to my mind can only be a good thing for the future and you should build on it.

Being dressed up and the head acting with reserve and authority are all subtle barriers to effective communication.

[/quote]

Thought provoking comments, Chancer.  Thank you.

My concern this morning is that if the Head ribs my son at school for being anglais, will pupils follow suit?

[Chancer]

Yes that could happen, if it does dependant on your son's reaction you may have to deal with it, it could be character forming and your son might even enjoy a little celebrity/notoriety from it. At college one of the lecturers referred to my mate as "that wretched Pole", we still call him that now as a term of endearment!

At least the ice has been broken and you would be able to talk to the head about it.

And give him a second chance to make a first impression [;-)]

[velcorin]

Very ill judged comments.

I get this all the time. They call it office banter. I don't. It is poor taste, and borderline racism.

I tried a couple of times making comments about poor performances by French sports teams, less successful events in French history involving the British, French politicians, etc, my French colleagues reacted very poorly. They are very precious about any perceived criticism of anything French. It wasn't funny to them, yet I'm to take their comments as funny? I can have a laugh with the Germans in the office "football is a game where 22 players runaround, and then the Germany beats England", or back to them "Holidaying in Poland this year, or invading somewhere else?" But, it's only oneway with the French.

[Chancer]

Yes Velcorin, you should take their comments at face value and as funny because I am sure that is what they were intended to be, why do you consider their attempts at jokes to be racist and yours not?

Accept that they either have a different or no sense of humour. 

I only see one posting with ill judged comments, - yours.

P.S. If I were one of your German colleagues and you made those sort of comments to me even dressed up as jokes I would consider you to be either insensitive or  racist.

[just john]

I think they call it appeasement Chancer; Very subtle Sweet, no-ones spotted us 2nd class yet,
whatever you do, Don't mention the war, I did once but I thought I got away with it[:P]

[velcorin]

My repost to them was (in my defence) after they'd sent me (their boss) a spoofed 7 Day Letter (legal demand) demanding I pay comepensation for the damage caused by my greatgrandfather, to one of their greatgrandfathers' house in Koln, from 7000m up. The War is not off limits, with some areas of obvious exception, for the current generation of Germans.

[Chancer]

I understand, very different if they instigated it. Do you remember "The Comedians" in the 70's, I think it was Stan Boardmans phrase "I dont like the Jeeermans, they bombed our chip shop" [:D]

FWIW I think that the headmasters comments were self deprecating making out that they were bad losers and  not at all racist unless in an inverse fashion.

[pachapapa]

While back went to a Lyonnaise des Eaux evening at the village hall on Asainissement non Collectif (ANC). During the Q&A session at the end I made the observation that Aborigines from the Northern Territory of Australia knew more about the installation of Sand Filter Beds than the french. The Chairman of the Meeting got quite put out and in reply accused me of being a purveyor of Micro Station Sewage Treatment Plants.[:D]

[velcorin]

A direct criticism? You were lucky to get out alive[:D]

[Frenchie]

[quote user="Swissie"]Agree with Chancer and Sweet - give him a chance- and I'd much rather have a Head with a sense of humour than without!
[/quote]

OH YES !!  And I speak from experience !!!!!

[Théière]

My heads got a sense of humour but other parts of me are histerical [:D]

[Frenchie]

Which ones ? [Www]

[Patf]

Cathy - I wouldn't worry, he was probably just trying to be sociable in a clumsy way.

I also wonder if he had in mind a new (french) regulation that has just come into force, stopping immigrant children from joining rugby clubs until they have been in France for 5 years .I read this in the local paper a few weeks ago.Some clubs are applying the rule strictly, some aren't.

[Swissie]

Hope it's not your tummy - my friend has a histericaltummy last year and it was quite unpleasant.

[Kitty]

[quote user="Patf"]  I also wonder if he had in mind a new (french) regulation that has just come into force, stopping immigrant children from joining rugby clubs until they have been in France for 5 years .I read this in the local paper a few weeks ago.Some clubs are applying the rule strictly, some aren't.

[/quote]

Really?  On what grounds?  Can anyone throw any light on this?

[Patf]

I got it slightly wrong - it applies to football, not rugby, as far as I know:

http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=83629&highlight=

Let me know if this link doesn't work.

Pat.

[Just Katie]

I am very proud of my Glamorgan roots too but it seems there arent many of us who have much good to say about Welsh Rugby.

[thepenofmyaunt]

I'm always amazed at how people just accept this sort of behaviour in France. If someone has posted saying that the UK had banned all non-British children from participating in a sport at an amateur level until they had been in the UK for 5 years, there would be uproar.

From what I've read it's a FIFA ruling aimed at professional players so it affects all countries yet only France is using it in this way to penalise foreign children.

As for the comments of the Head teacher, it obviously made you feel uncomfortable therefore it is unacceptable.  I'd be interested to know what other 'jokes' he made about your nationality.