Monergist

[quote]And another interesting difference is that in the US and most other countries, the grading system starts at grade 1 and finshes at grade 15 (or 14, can't remember). In France, it goes the opposite way round, your last year is grade 1.[/quote] Someone asked me about this after my presentation and we wondered if the french said things like, "I'm in first grade," (during their last year of lycée) which wouldn't be funny, of course, unless you were American, and ethnocentric..haha. [quote]I'm afraid some of the words like alumii and freshmen are alien to us in Europe and we don't know quite what they are.[/quote] Sorry about that.  High school here starts at grade 9, and ends at grade 12.  So a 9th grader is called a freshman; 10th grader - sophomore; 11th grader - junior; 12th grader - senior.  It's the same in the university, also.  Your first year at a university is your freshman year; second year - sophomore, etc.  Also, at the university your status (freshman, sophomore, etc) depends more on how many classes you've completed, rather than the amount of time you've been at the school.  So if you've been at the school for 3 years, but only pass 2 classes, you're still technically a freshman, not a junior. And alumni are the people who've already graduated.  Wealthy alumni usually donate money to the school they graduate from, so that's the reason events like homecoming take place in their honor. [quote]there is no diploma presentation where they wear gowns etc,[/quote] No cap and gown or graduation!? Wow.. You would think that after all that testing, some type of award ceremony would be in order. There are elementary schools (primary school would be your equivalent) here that have a graduation ceremony for each grade.  My nieces 5th grade graduation was a few months ago.  Next will be her 6th, and so on.  Graduation over here is like a rite of passage.  A symbol that you are moving up in the ranks of society.  But again, the most surprising thing about no graduation in France is the fact that the education process is a lot more intense than America's.  What about a Valedictorian or a Salutatorian?  If you do not know what these are; the valedictorian is the person who was academically number 1 in their class, and the salutatorian was number 2.  They basically look at your grades and all your activities and achievements through high school to determine if you were the "smartest."  The valedictorian is usually a straight 'A' student (they use letter grades there, right?) who maintained a 4.0 grade point average, and they also have a better chance of getting into a prestigious university.  The valedictorian also wears a different color gown or sash from the other students, so that they stand out.  And they have to make a speech.  Our graduation was in a huge basketball stadium, so a speech in front of so many people can be intimidating.  [quote]I don't know, but the truth is here( in Normandy and must be else where)  one french friend said France is having a nervous breakdown. The majority of people here are obsessed by money and have a massive chip on their shoulder for not having more..... That's my take on it.....[/quote] I'll be sure to update my professor.  We (students) were put under the impression that we need to be more intellectual to get a french person's attention, rather than have money and material possessions.  I wonder if since the bistros are becoming less prevalent, if the french are becoming more open to inviting people to their homes?  We were taught that the french are more discrete and rarely invite people over for dinner, etc, since most homes are small and the french like their privacy.  Of course, here in America we want to show off our houses and apartments, big or small, so we hold a lot of gatherings, and don't mind if people bring friends we don't know..  It seems that if the french are becoming more materialistic, and big on cars, then the next step will be becoming more open to guests, and holding parties, etc.      

I posted a reply back on the 21st thanking Val for the response and saying I was on my way to do my presentation, but it's gone for some odd reason.. Anyway, WOW!! I can't believe school is almost 10 hours over there..LOL.  I wish I could've relayed that information to my classmates.  High school is generally 6 hours over here.  Mine went from 8-2:30. Homecoming is a big event, with a parade through the city to welcome back alumni.  There's usually an accompanying football game, and 2 students are voted king and queen of the homecoming event, based on popularity.  There's also a homecoming dance that night to celebrate the football team's triumph over the away team, but our football team always lost their homecoming game..haha Speaking of militant fonctionnaires, are there any military programs in college or lycee (sorry, haven't looked up how to do accents yet).  We were required to do JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps) our freshman year of high school.  I hated it.  My school had an Air Force ROTC program, and they forced us to wear military uniforms on Tuesdays.  The program was geared toward men and women who knew they were going to the military immediately after high school, but the school board had decided it would be good disciplinary incentive for all students entering high school.. Driving to school over here is just a status symbol, and an ostentatious one at that.  I started driving to school when I was 16, even though the school was a 5 minute walk from my house.  Some of the bad kids who stole cars, were even driving to school at 14 and 15 (one of my friends drove a brand new (stolen) Benz to school at 15). The only video I could find on youtube of a french high school was of le lycee Henri quatre.  It looked interesting.  It was interesting also to see Val and Frenchie's contrasting regions.  I'm assuming, Frenchie, that in your region, the religious paraphernalia laws aren't as binding?  Seeing that your school has a Christmas party and a Christmas lunch. Marching band is also a huge thing here.  Some universities even attract more spectators to football games to see the marching band rather than the football team. We take a lot of field trips to various museums and theme parks. We also had a senior trip at the end of senior year.  From the time a class enters into high school, the classes sponsor (usually a teacher but sometimes a administrator) puts on a bunch of events (cook outs, dances, car washes, etc) in order to save money for a trip for that class.  Our senior trip was a cruise to the Bahamas. Junior high and high school was fun, but it could be frustrating sometimes.  It's a big fashion show, and the kids are so evil.  Too much emphasis on clothing; especially shoes.  I'm sure France doesn't deal with that.  My french professor kept emphasizing to us about how money, clothes, and cars doesn't impress people from France.       

Hi, I'm doing a project on the French school system and I hoped someone from France could relate some of the differences between our school systems. I'm looking particularly for interesting facts. For instance, in America, basketball, football, and baseball are a big deal from first grade to high school, and high school and college competition is also huge. Is it the same in France? Perhaps with different sports? We generally eat artificial food at lunch (soggy fries, pizza, funny tasting burgers, etc). Is it the same in French College (secondary school)? I already read a topic concerning prom (an end of the year formal dance for seniors) and it basically said there was no such thing in most French schools. Does that still hold true? What about homecoming, and homecoming king and queen? Do high schoolers drive to school? Is there high school superlatives (cutest couple, most atractive, etc.) for seniors and yearbooks? Is private schooling and homeschooling prevelant? Any other interesting facts will be much appreciated, thanks.