How do French schools define “success” for students and teachers?
The success of French students is closely tied to high-stakes testing and the ability for students at both the college and lycee levels to pass those assessments. There are benchmarks and discussions about the assessments throughout a student’s career, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the student to determine their pathway and take the appropriate assessment that will allow them to move forward on their track. Success for teachers is connected to student success, but is not individualized. There is no direct correlation between a single teacher’s impact on student or school success. Teachers are evaluated once every five years, but there is no reward/punishment connected to the evaluation. French schools and U.S. schools have a lot of similarities, but the pathways to success and the definition of success vary quite a bit. Whereas the French system is very direct and black and white, the U.S. system is very customized and differs depending on location, student choice, and local requirements. Both systems support student learning, but the U.S. system spends more time on the whole student while the French system relies on organizations within their cities to support families and students with things outside of education.
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Our last two days were impacted by COVID quite a bit. We weren’t able to attend our final school visits and were instead given time to explore the city in very small groups. I spent time wandering the streets and ate some great food, but the shadow of increased COVID cases definitely impacted those final days.
We all met together (some in-person and some online) for our final reflective session, which gave us some time to think about our shared experiences. During that session, we were supposed to come up with three interesting things from our trip. One of my many takeaways came from our shared observations and discussions. In U.S. schools, we tend to deal more with feelings whereas the French schools deal more with thoughts. This was clear when we learned about the importance of debate and discourse and how students learn those skills from a very young age. Debate and discussion didn’t yield bad feelings in France, but instead was a normal way of life. Additionally, I reflected on the idea that in France, they are filling students with information to fit one of the tracks that students can take whereas in the U.S., we focus more on helping unfold who students are and help them identify their own unique pathway to success. Assessments are important in both countries, but the pressure associated with the BAC is unlike anything I’ve experienced in the United States. That can be both positive and negative. I can see benefits to having clear pathways and a clear finish line for students, but I worry about the inflexibility of those pathways. At the end of our session, we were given time to write a letter to ourselves, and here’s what I wrote: You did it! Your first international travel experience is almost over, but you made it through. You were scared about all of the unknowns, but you persisted and did it anyway! When time has passed, remember the energy and passion you felt from the group of amazing educators that you were partnered with, the permission you gave yourself to explore at your pace, and the gained understanding of what education is like in France. Recall the nervousness of the first metro and TGV, remember the smells of bread and the taste of dessert that must be savored (no rushing!), and don’t lose sight of the wonder you’ve experienced. This trip was once-in-a-lifetime and was so worth it. Keep the friendships that you’ve gained and continue to put yourself in uncomfortable situations so that you can continue to grow as a person and as an educator. Travel home was long, but uneventful (which was a good thing). My tired mind was happy to head home and share all of the gained insights with my husband (also an educator) and colleagues. On Wednesday, we ventured to our next school visit, College Alain Fournier. There we were welcomed by Mrs. Dosdat, the principal of the school. The conversations with Mrs. Dosdat were so helpful in understanding a bit more about the structure of the French education system. We learned that after college, students can choose to go to a professional career center-type high school or to the traditional lycee. The end goal of the career center is to put workers into the workforce at the culmination of high school while the lycee is the pathway to university (which is free in France). We learned that 60% of students from France enter lycee and 20% go toward the professional route.
Students are given “checkpoints” along the way to see if they are on-track for the lycee (and eventually the BAC). The principal shared that the college and the first year of lycee are dedicated to finding student internships that help them discover specialties because you take the BAC over the specialties that you select. Students choose their specialty and cannot change because everything is geared toward that test. I observed an art class with one other Fulbrighter. The lesson was on the use of light and consisted of some lecture, notes in an interactive notebook, and time to apply. While the students were working, I walked around the room and looked at their drawings which were very impressive. I struck up a conversation with one student who is attending the American International school at the college. He shared that everyone takes art and all of the standard electives, but that he doesn’t have to take English class like his classmates. Instead, he takes French. He was a sweet kid who was happy to share his knowledge with us. Other observations:
Again, this visit emphasized the importance of the BAC and other exams in determining a student’s future options. I learned that there is an option for students who do not pass the BAC, but that it is restricted to a single year and a single chance (the year after their senior year at lycee). The pressure for students to take and pass the BAC seemed to lay additional importance on education in a way that we don’t have in the U.S., but I worry about the student who changes their mind or wants to venture down a different pathway. I changed my major my first year of college from science to liberal arts. It sounds like that kind of shift would be impossible for a French student because of the restrictions placed upon the type of specialized BAC they take and pass. We ate lunch with a group of teachers at a restaurant outside of the school and encountered many students getting lunch with their parents in the same area. I was still in awe of the long time we spent at lunch, but appreciated not feeling rushed. At the end of the day, we visited with a representative from the U.S. Consulate General in Bordeaux and saw a presentation from one of the community groups that supports students. The group, Centre Regional d’Information Jeunesse- Nouvelle Aquitaine, focused on promoting youth self-reliance, supports students in their daily lives, and supports the development of international and professional opportunities like study abroad. They help struggling students with school work, provide internet access, and create partnerships with families. To wrap up our first day on Bordeaux, we took a walking tour of the city. Our charismatic guide was full of interesting facts and stories that helped bring the city to life. With more questions than answers, the visit to Mantes-la-Jolie couldn’t have been timed any better. We met at the new college and received a grand welcome reception. We shared coffee, tea, and pastries with staff members who greeted us with open arms. Their hospitality was top-notch! We went into one of the large instructional spaces in the school and were officially welcomed by the building’s administrator who helped coordinate our visit. He introduced all of the teachers/hosts that we’d be working with and even held a moment of silence for the shooting at Uvalde. That moment of silence was so powerful for many of us. The idea that we all shared in the horror of that mass shooting showed another common thread between our countries. We learned that Mantes-la-Jolie schools were “targeted” which means that they are in a lower income area and aren’t so attractive to educators. The town was industrial with a car manufacturing facility as the primary employer. Many of the students were children of immigrants who lived within walking distance (or a short bus ride) from the school. We were partnered/grouped and sent to our first classroom visits.
My group was sent to a primary school where we observed a differentiated math lesson taught to fourth graders. The teacher we observed worked with his students while we walked around the room, noticing the ways in which he differentiated his instruction for various student groups. Aside from differentiation, I took note of the types of learning activities the students were doing and the classroom itself. I noticed that students were not using technology at all. No calculators, no computers, no devices. The teacher was using a device to project the problem onto the board, but that was it. Students were working in a workbook and shifted to writing in an interactive composition notebook. Students wrote in cursive in both French and English. There were 14 students in the room with one teacher and one interventionist. The teacher shared that the interventionist comes in only one day per week to provide intervention. Observing our partner teacher was so interesting. He spoke in French most of the time, but we were able to quickly notice that he was an excellent teacher. He got down on his knees to work with students, had a great rapport with them, and seemed to gauge pace and timing very well. His students were attentive and on-task (even if they were a little distracted by the group of Americans peering over their shoulders). When the students got a little talkative, he shushed them “ch, ch, ch...” Following the observation, we went back to the college and observed a few other classes. My group visited an English classroom where the students were working on a presentation. The students were a little shy and did not want their pictures taken. While in the room, I spoke with an inspector for the country who was there to observe our visit. We had a great conversation and I learned a lot about their evaluation and professional development systems. She shared that she evaluates teachers every five years or so and that she shares her evaluation with the building’s administrator. I asked her about how teachers who receive poor evaluations are supported. She shared that she offers professional development each month for teachers in the area who need it and that they can choose to come. If teachers don’t come, there is no big consequence or expectation. She also shared that teachers are there just to teach and that teachers who work with target schools have less hours expected of them. With teaching being a public service in France (they are civil servants), it is very difficult for a teacher to be fired. Basically, as I understood through our conversation, once a teacher is hired, they have a job for life. If they want to move to a different school, they have to earn “points” that will allow them to have the option to move schools. One teacher jokingly shared that “the more you cry, the more points you get”. This system creates a situation in which the best teachers are able to go to the best schools. The building principals have nothing to do with hiring and only stay at a school for up to nine years. No points are attributed toward teaching excellence. After learning more about the teacher evaluation system, I understood that “success” for a teacher isn’t tied to a personal evaluation, but more about key assessments that are attributed to the school. They really didn’t have any individual accountability which is tied to anything with teeth. I don’t love how punitive teacher evaluation systems in the U.S. can be, but I also worry that without something to help teachers stay on track, complacency could become an issue as the investigator mentioned is an issue in some schools in France. We experienced a delicious French school lunch and were able to have candid conversations with some of the teachers we observed. During the lunchtime conversation, I learned that there were benchmarks that the college gave to measure toward the BAC test and that students only went to school for a ½ day on Wednesday (elementary didn’t go at all). The English teacher I was seated with continuously repeated that there was “no violence” in French schools, but they dealt with apathy just like we did. She was proud to share their 95% graduation rate and explained a little more about lunch time for French students and staff. French students are given the option to eat at the school’s restaurant or they can go home, but regardless, they get 1.5 hours for lunch. That amount of time was so impressive to us, who normally have a 15-20 minute lunch. After lunch, we went back into the large instruction room and learned a little more about how community programs support the schools. I was so impressed to learn that many of the social services that our schools provide in-house, are coordinated through the town hall in France. There are programs that help with attendance issues, acclimating newcomers, and connecting with immigrant families. These programs, while not run through or by the school, support the work that the school does each day and takes some of the burden off of the school. They called it “community-based infrastructure.” At the end of the day, we traveled via TGV to Bordeaux for our next set of school visits. The TGV was impressive and allowed us to see a bit of the French countryside. I loved seeing the fields with rows of wildflowers (a requirement in France to encourage pollinators) and the many windmills generating power. On Monday, we made our way back into Paris to Lycee Henri IV, one of the most prestigious public high schools in the entire country. Students were not at school because it was a federal holiday, but we met our guide just inside the giant red doors and made our way into the courtyard.
We learned about the the history of the school, which was a catholic monastery first and were able to spend time in some of the classrooms that were set up for examinations. It was interesting to spend time in the chapel in the school because of what we learned previously: that the Frensh require a separation of church and state. We asked about this separation and the guide explained that there are no required church services that students have to attend. For us, this was conflicting. If students are not even allowed to wear a crucifix or hijab, how can a chapel be allowed? The guide explained that history is the reason- they used an older building, before that law was in place, so it was accepted as part of the building’s history. We learned that entrance to this famous school was based on an entrance exam and that students ranged from college (middle school) aged to lycee (high school). In all, the school has 750 college students and about 2,000 lycee students. Attendance at the school is an honor to students and families, so mere entrance to this school is deemed a success because they only admit top students. Students who attend normally live in Paris, but there is boarding for some students and others get apartments near the school. As we explored the space, I kept reflecting on how different their school looked (mere appearances) from ours. Their school held artwork and old relics of buildings from the past, where as ours are made of cinder blocks and concrete. Their school’s ceilings and doors were immaculately decorated whereas ours are built for security. The juxtaposition was extreme. I wondered what it might feel like to be a high school-aged student in this area of the city who did not attend this prestigious high school. I also wondered about how privilege (racial and economic) factored into the acceptance of students and entrance into the school. Without keeping records about race, I’m not sure how they would make entrance equitable. My favorite place in the school was the library. We were able to be in part of the library (the older part) and were able to look at the newer part. Being a bibliophile, of course the old books drew me in. The library was set up for testing with rows of tables and chairs all over the space. It seemed like every classroom we entered was prepared for some sort of exam which pulled me back to my guiding question. If entrance to this prestigious school was success, and an exam was required, passing an exam must mean success. This idea aligned with the idea of the BAC and the information we learned previously from the Embassy. In our American schools, assessments mean a lot, but I wondered how that compares to the reliance on assessments in the French education system. Is passing a test the only way to find success? |