Wow, it's been a long time since my last post. In fact, I completely forgot to post about my UK trip. So maybe I'll just add some pictures instead and let them describe the trip. In short, it was exactly what I needed; it gave me a chance to relax, recharge my batteries, and get lots and lots of stuff food-wise.
London and the Tower Bridge
The Palace of Westminster, where Parliament assembles
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official residence in Scotland
Edinburgh Castle
Cardiff Castle
Anyways, with the end of the most recent trimester (French schools operate on a trimester system, interestingly enough), I got to attend a conseil de classe for each of the seconde (10th grade) classes I work with. The conseil de classe isn't something that exists in the US system, though: as the students are generally sorted into groups and stick together in said groups for all their classes throughout their stay at a collège or lycée, they have a common group of teachers in a year. For example, at my collège, there are six groups of quatrième (eighth grade); each group remains together and has the same weekly schedule. The only time they might be split up for classes is with the second foreign language, where some will take Portuguese and others might choose German or Spanish, but, otherwise, they're stuck with each other. At the end of the marking period, all of the teachers for the group meet with an administrator, either the head of the institution or one of the assistants; two representatives of the parents; and two representatives of the students to discuss the performance of the class over the past marking period and, in the case of the seconde classes, to discuss the placement of the students for the following year. This is because, in France, after seconde, one is sorted into either a baccalauréat for university track or one for technical fields. (Vocational and professional schools are a different subject altogether.)
One of the striking things I noted, though, is the difference in behavioral expectations. The belief in France is that a student should be sage: that is, seen and not heard. They should remain quiet, take notes, and not ask questions or otherwise speak in class. And, in a way, that's an obstacle to my job as a teaching assistant and trying to get the students to speak.
Now, let's be honest: a well-behaved class, one which isn't violent and which listens, is always a plus (and an expectation on both sides of the pond). But the difference I notice largely comes in the participation expectations: in the US, most of the classes I was in expected students to contribute and participate actively to discussions, and I really don't see that here in France. In fact, a good number of the students that have the really good marks in my classes (or overall, for that matter) are students who don't speak at all! This is due to the fact that, in France, the written aspects are more emphasized than the spoken; while this should change in a few years, from what I hear about some of the changes being made to the baccalauréat, the emphasis will still likely remain on the pen and paper rather than opening the students' mouths and getting them to talk. There is some overlap between good marks and participatory students, but there isn't really much. One student in particular worries me a bit: he's brilliant at English and other languages, but his marks in other areas are likely to put him in a technical track. And the problem with technical tracks here in France is that the language aspect isn't emphasized. I've seen one of the LV Techno classes, a class which tries to teach a foreign language for the purposes of use in technical fields, and I really fear that, if said student is put on a technical track, he won't get the support that he should get with respect to languages and the such.
Among other reasons, this stay in France is definitely rewarding and proving to be very beneficial. I've gotten to experience a completely different education system and learn more about the inner workings of this country. Is it better than the US? Maybe, maybe not. I like to see the positive in most things, so there are definitely pluses on both ends (and, of course, drawbacks as well, like the formidable French bureaucracy). And I hope to come back next year.
But, on the other hand, regarding my job, it's a bit disheartening sometimes to see the students who want to learn being overshadowed or pushed aside by either the administration or the students who really don't care and want to be disruptive. I have a good number of really good students who I want to see more of and who I want the best for in terms of languages and the such: after all, having a second language under my belt is how I was able to come to France. In the end, though, languages aren't seen as important here, so... just like in the US with the subjects seen as less important, they're bound to suffer.
