A helping hand for little talkers

The five fingers of the hand. They all have a particular function. There is the index finger, the one that points; the middle finger, the largest; the ring finger, which in some cultures wears the wedding ring. And then, there is the thumb and the little finger. Two important fingers, those that allow you to give a helping hand and speak in the ear. This Monday, June 24, the little finger played its role well. It indicated to both the elected officials of Toulon and the leaders of the Coup de pouce association how well 85 little Toulonnais have worked throughout this school year and especially the progress they have made night after night, thanks to a helping hand at school. To crown their efforts, Antonio, Adam, Fatima, Agathe, Gabriel or Souad, accompanied by their family, their educators or teachers, received a diploma, the very first, during an official presentation held in the Mediterranean room.
« Well done kids! Josée Massi, mayor of Toulon, congratulated them. At the beginning of the year, it was difficult for you to speak to your friends, to your teacher, or in public. You didn’t have the right words. Then you followed the training: with the help of your facilitators you learned new words, learned to speak in public “. They are all finishing their last year of kindergarten. In September 2023, they were identified as “small talkers” by the educational body. Because they had difficulty expressing themselves, because they were more shy and reserved in class but because they were deserving, these students were chosen to participate in one of the 17 Coup de Pouce Langage (CLA) clubs, supported by both the City and its two Educational Cities.

One hour of extra work per day

« For 3 years, the Coup de Pouce association has allowed children to improve their oral expression. All the testimonies are positive: the children have made significant progress », underlines Patrice Cazaux, deputy mayor in charge of educational success. Thus, 4 evenings a week, as soon as the 4:30 p.m. bell rang, the children were taken care of by a facilitator, very often a teacher from the school group, and for an hour enriched their vocabulary which, at their age, should be composed of more or less 1,500 words. An extra hour of work compared to their little friends, but not an hour of homework. The game is used as a support to stimulate the oral skills necessary for learning to read.
All sessions are ritualized, structured according to an identical plan to give them a clear and reassuring framework: the word of the day, language games, telling a story, writing a text with 10 hands and welcoming parents. But this learning cannot be done without the consent of families. Parents are involved in the life of the clubs so that the different concepts acquired during school and extracurricular times find resonance at home. “ The Coup de Pouce clubs require both an effort for the children and a commitment from the parents », specifies Robert Bouvis, national secretary of the association who encouraged the dads and mothers present to “ continue to accompany your (their) children. It’s so beautiful to see your child be curious ».

The first diploma that calls for others

One by one, called by name and by club, the young students come to the podium to receive the precious sesame from the hands of Josée Massi, her deputies and municipal councilors.
. Sometimes shyly but always proudly, they all receive this diploma, the very first of their schooling, and two books, one given by the association and the other by the City. A somewhat special work since it is the album “Discover Toulon between sea and mountain”, created by Yvan Tesi especially for the City of Toulon. With its colorful and joyful illustrations as well as its stickers to stick, this work aims to allow Toulon students to learn more about their city.

These “little talkers” will now be able to tell their friends a lot of things, whether it’s during this last week of classes or during the summer holidays…