French School

Day 9 - They actually posed for me!!  Maybe we've finally turned a corner....

I thought I’d talk a little more about what school is like here plus some perspectives straight from the girls.  In my previous post I mentioned how parents are not allowed on the school grounds or in the class rooms.  The day starts at 8:30 and they have a 2-hour lunch break from 11:30-1:30.  Some children go home for lunch and others stay at school, where they have plenty of time to eat and play.  Unlike our US system where unfortunately most kids scarf down their lunch or don’t finish it so they can get outside and play before the bell rings.  No rushing here, which I am very grateful for.  Of course, being a Dietitian, I feel like it’s really important for kids to have adequate time to eat a solid lunch.

They resume school at 1:30 and the length of the afternoon then varies between the following:

              Monday – 1:30-3:00

              Tuesday – 1:30-4:30

              Thursday – 1:30-3:00

              Friday – 1:30-4:30

Wednesdays they’re actually done at 11:30 for a minimum day.  I like that schedule.  2 long days, a half day, 2 long days, and then the weekend.  That seems like a nice balance.  The other thing about their schedule is the school year.  They year starts on Sept 1^st and goes through the first week of July.  But every 6 weeks they get 2 weeks off.  So that gives four 2-week holidays over the school year.  I like that too.  Not just to give the kids a break but hopefully it will allow us some opportunity to travel and not have to take the girls out of school.

After School Options

The school district also offers after-school and Wednesday afternoon activities, should you wish to participate.  They are both for an extra fee but compared to how much we pay for kids activities in California, the cost is really inexpensive (depending on how much you make the price ranges between 60 to 190 Euros per child for the whole year for 2 days of after-school programs; 7 to 14 Euros per child per Wednesday).  We decide to sign them up for twice-a-week after school activities (periscolaire) on the days they get out at 3:00 (Mondays and Thursdays).  We hope it will be fun and will allow them more time to connect with the other children.  The activities rotate through different programs; sports, art, music, etc.

Here's a little sample of the work the girls have done at school so far.  I like that on Fridays all the work from the week comes home and we have to sign off that we've reviewed it.  At least this way we feel like we know what's going on at school.  I so miss getting to co-op in the classroom and see first hand what the girls do all day at school.

Lola's Thoughts:
   

Q. What do you do in class in the morning?

A. I get to my desk, I get a piece of paper that has the number of the day on it (ex. 11th day of school) and I have to fill it out.  After that I sit, I listen to my teacher talk, I get a headache because it's too much French, and I fill out more papers. 

Q. What do you do at recess?

A. During the morning I get 2 different play times. I play with my new friends until the little bell rings and I have to go back to work.

Q. What do you think about the lunch at school?

A. There is a different thing every day, always bread and cheese, always a dessert, and it's usually really yummy. And I get a lot more time to eat my lunch plus more play time.

Q. What do you do in class in the afternoon?

A. Once the bell rings I get in line again, 2 x 2, and I go back to my classroom and do more work; more papers.

Q. What do you like about French school?

A. I like having my own desk, I like all my school supplies, and I like sitting in the front. 

Q. What do you not like about French school?

A. I don't like getting a headache because there's so much French, I don't like some of the kids because they're not very nice to me, I don't like that I don't get any free-time to choose what I want to do, and I don't like how long it is.

Q. What do you miss about Open Classroom (school back in California)?

A. I miss all my friends a lot, I miss having free time and getting to play outside, I miss the play structure (they only have a black top to play on at her French school), all the Open kids are nicer, and I miss being with my sister more during the day.

Teah’s Thoughts:

Q. What do you do in class in the morning:

A. I bring everything out of my backpack, go sit at my desk, I glue a number in my blue book (the # of day of school), then my teacher talks, I do more paperwork, play games, read books, and put paper in my folder.

Q. What do you do at recess?

A. I walk around, play on things that make my feet higher, and I play with my sister.

Q. What do you think about the lunch at school?

A. It's good. Sometimes I like the healthy food and I don't like dessert, sometimes I like dessert and I don't like the healthy food.

Q. What do you do in class in the afternoon?

A. I do some more work; filling out papers, writing with my white board, then we put all our stuff in the back pack and then you pick me up.

Q. What do you like about French school?

A. I like play time, I like lunch time, I like my desk.

Q. What do you not like about French school?

A. I miss you guys all day, I don't like that you can't walk into the class room with me.

Q. What do you miss about Open Classroom?

A. Open Classroom is way better than French school because the teachers are nicer, and I miss all my friends.