Editors: Andrea, Gisele, Julien, Rafaela and Emily.

 

“If everything’s determined at school, it’s time we heard the distress call
Let’s not let there be the gap of a two-tier education system.”
Grand Corps Malade, “Éducation nationale” (2010).

 

Here we are! The Dickinson Center has reopened for Fall 2017, and the students are discovering a new school system step by step. Between registering, chosing classes, and visiting the various campuses and the city, they are already actively immersing themselves in the famous labyrinth of French back-to-school days.

For some, hoxever, the start of classes is a bit slow to arrive. To remedy the impatience of finding themselves in the classroom with their French peers, they’re making use of their free time to do some volunteer work at the Caousou school. For two weeks, they have been stepping in English classes and running “English Tables” with the students, all the while discorvering the French educational system. Thanks to this rewarding experience, our editors have been able to gather some insightful observations on the cultural aspects of French scools, as well as on the social realities that charactarize them.

Cultural differences up to our plates

Last week we helped English teachers at the Caousou, a Jesuit private school which is located in a mainly residential neighborhood of Toulouse. The Caousou is comprised of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, but for our volunteer work, we focused mainly on students attending the middle and high school. Each day at the school involved different activities, but we often went to English classes either alone or with another American student where we would speak in English with students. The students would ask us questions regarding our lives in the United States, our families, our studies, and our preferences. At certain points, we would help students to study for their exams for a program entitled “Academica,” in which French students would receive their baccalaureat degree as well as an American high school diploma at the end of their studies.

We noticed several cultural differences between the Caousou and US schools. One of them is the way lunch breaks and meals are organized in both countries, since they represent cultural habits that vary from one country to another. In contrast to the United States, where lunch breaks are usually 30-45 minutes, students in France often get up to two hours to eat and chat with friends. Further, they even have the option to return home before coming back to class. Almost all the students that we observed ate at the cafeteria rather than bringing a sandwich from home. The cafeteria meals at the Caousou were fairly balanced and varied, with a choice of salad, cheese, and baguette, as well as a choice between two main dishes and a dessert or fruit. On the other hand, students in the United States often have fewer choices and the meal options are often greasy or too sugary, like hamburgers or chocolate pudding.

The importance of learning languages

Another main difference that we noticed is the importance given to foreign language education at the Caousou. Throughout our time there, it was easy to see Caousou’s appreciation for learning foreign languages. In the school, students begin to learn a foreign language at a young age. In general each student in the Caousou learns at least two languages. But the most shocking thing, is the amount of options given to the students to become better at these languages. In this way, the Caousou is a bit of an exception compared to other schools in France. Caousou offers not only immersive language classes but also a big selection of language options. Students can choose between Chinese, German, Latin, Greek, English, Spanish, and Italian.

Because of all these options, students can learn up to three or four languages! However, it is very common for the students at Caousou to choose English for one of their languages. This choice of English shows the value the school and French society place on it. This can be seen not only in the education structure, but also in how the students regard the English language. Many students at Caousou believe that it will not only help in the future, but also that it is a universal language.

The way of teaching is consequently very different compared to the United States. In the United States, the students start their second language such as French or Spanish in elementary or middle school. The students are not required to take a third language. Therefore, at the end of highschool, if you compared the level of language between the American students who learn to speak French and the French students who learn to speak English, there is an enormous difference.

Not a “typical” French school

To say the least, we were very impressed with the quality of education at the Caousou. However, our conversations with the teachers made us realize that schools like the Caousou are an exception in France. Even though French schools place a high level of importance on the mastery of another language, the Caousou is unique because of its large range of options due to programs like Non-Linguistic Discplines (NDL). The objective of NDL courses is to offer a specialized course in a subject, which is taught entirely in another language. These are meant for high school students with a high level of language who want to take these courses as electives. The benefit of NDL courses is that the student can recieve honors when they take the baccaleaureate exam (equivalent of SAT in the USA). The Caousou also organizes educational trips for the students who study another language to help them improve their language skills.

The experience of a typical student at the Caousou is very different from the experience of a French public-school student, which slam-poet and rapper, Grand Corps Malade, explains in his song “Éducation nationale.” According to him, the schools in his disadvantaged Parisian neighborhood lacked resources, the students were less respectful towards their teachers, and the general attitude towards education was rather negative. The Caousou school is unique in the sense that it has more resources and opportunities than poorer or less privileged schools. When comparing public and private schools in France, we can see the educational inequalities that exist in the country. In a future study, it would be interesting to compare the differences between public and private schools in the United States, as well as the differences between public and private schools in France, as there also exists multiple inequalities between American schools.