Comments on: Real Families: Experiencing Schools in France

By: Karen Mary Butterfly

Karen Mary Butterfly — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 16:09:29 +0000

My husband (French) tells me that if you didn’t do your homework or scored low on something, you had to wear donkey ears all day and deliver messages, etc. to the other classrooms. I taught English in France for three years. The children were so conditioned and well behaved. It was strange though. They would ask nervously, “Do we write the questions in red? Are the statements in blue ink?” They were so scared to do anything in my class without the strict rules they were used to. They thought they had died and went to heaven with me. I was all about having fun!

By: celine

celine — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 12:55:43 +0000

Bonjour,
J’avoue que ce que vous décrivez fait très “vieille France”. J’enseigne depuis 8 ans et j’ai une classe de CP (6-7 ans). L’écriture n’est aussi importante aujourd’hui (pour les jeunes enseignants en tout cas), on apprend à écrire pendant de longues heures c’est vrai, mais au crayon à papier ou sur des ardoises. Nos classes sont beaucoup moins jolies et moins colorées que les vôtres, c’est plus le contenu qui importe. On est aussi en train de revoir le système de notation et de valorisation et je pense que les petits français passent de bons moments dans nos classes….

By: kidworldcitizen

kidworldcitizen — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:22:56 +0000

In reply to Jenny. Very interesting! It seems that maybe a value is placed on independence? I think it's great that kids learn to fend for themselves to a point- yet I wonder if they have any problems with bullying (like we do in the US).

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 04:08:33 +0000

This must be the standard school experience across Europe. We live in Italy and my 3yo will start Italian schools in 1-2 years. I have heard similar reports as the one described in this post. Another difference is discipline. In Italy it seems kids are left to solve their differences on their own. Squabbles and fights are not necessarily broken up immediately and offenders are not punished. Kids learn to fend for themselves. Good or bad?

By: Olga @The EuropeanMamaBlog

Olga @The EuropeanMamaBlog — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:17:21 +0000

I went to school in Poland, and it was very similar to a French school: public scolding , script writing, lot of memorization without much explanation. I felt awful, I hated school! The more freedom I had with my learning methods, the more I thrived. I don’t see how this would have benefited me…but maybe there are children who actually prefer to learn this way because maybe they feel it makes them stronger? I don’t know. This is not for me, and I hope my children won’t have to deal with a school like that.