observations

A few random observations about the differences between French school and American school...

• The classes are taught really differently. Here the teachers dictate and students write down every word the teacher says. They all end up with the exact same perfectly printed notes. Most teacher's don't even take into account students' different learning styles.
• Great pride is taken in having the perfect handwriting. "Messy" work (neat by my sloppy American standards, haha) is not accepted. I am accustomed to getting compliments on my handwriting back home. Here....well, the kid that sits next to me teases me. Among American boys, most, if not all (I have not yet been able to determine if it is indeed 100%, but in every case I have seen...) have horrible handwriting. Here the total opposite is true. For them, the essentials are not paper and pencil, but paper, blue pen, white magic eraser for the blue pen, permanent pen to write over the magic eraser, and white out...because you never know when the first correction mechanisms might fail you. Pencil is not a concept. Who likes that smudgy lead stuff anyways?
• The teachers have no concept of discretion or student privacy whatsoever. On the day the tests are handed back, they give each student their test one by one. If you have a good grade, everyone knows it, because the teacher praises you loudly while passing over your test. On the other hand, if you happened to fail, the teacher will literally yell at you and insult you in front of everyone. I once saw a teacher tell a student that she wasn't working hard enough and basically insulted another boy's intelligence. To them, this is normal. But I have to say, I never thought I was lucky to hear a, "Taylor, you better see me after class..."

These are just a few of the many things I have noticed since starting school here. I like different things about both systems, but it is interesting to see the contrast.