Is school in France better than in England?

[powerdesal]

I started going to church in the last couple of years, both in France and England and was shocked to find that I struggled to remember the words to the lords prayer.

In Latin, English or French??????

[Chancer]

In English I am ashamed to admit.

Mind you I dont think that other than for a couple of weddings I have used it since infants or perhaps primary school, I do recall saying the 3rd line as "Harold be thy name" for a long time before a clump from the R.E. teacher put me on the right path.

Editted

What is even more shamefull for me is to hear the infants from my village school singing both the French and English national anthems and I didnt know the words to either except la, la, la, etc.

Thanks again to the forum members who kindly posted the Frtench words for me, I will practice it before the next defilé.

[suein56]

[quote user="Cathy"]

Speaking of cosine etc rules, Anyone remember:

Old Andrew Threw (Opposite / Adjacent = Tangent)

All His Cares (Adjacent / Hypot = Cosine)

Over His Shoulder (Opp / Hypot = Sine)[/quote]

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather, but, when I mentioned this to my OH, he did ... well nearly but not quite your version. At his school in Bristol things were done the other way round ie starting with Sine = (Some) Officers Have, Cosine = (Curly) Auburn Hair, Tangent = (To) Offer Attraction.

Me, I even did A level Maths and I can't remember a thing. Well I remember the w/e parties ... but not anything useful.

Sue [:)]

[Frenchie]

Please, JR, read your PMs .. ! [:)]

School in the UK encourages more creativity maybe, but I think on the whole, the French education system is better.

 

[Rose]

Our old maths teacher taught us the formula for a quadratic equation to the tune of three blind mice... I still remember it now... another one we learnt...

fiddle dee dum fiddle de dee

a ring round the moon is pi times d

but if you want a hole repaired

the formula to use is pi r squared

On the subject of learning by heart I remember having to learn wordsworth and Shakespeare, Harding and Keats for English o'level... and could still recite from the Merchant of Venice

My son has learnt some of the poems Clair mentioned this last year in CM2. On some he has had to write similar poems of his own and on every poem he has to draw a picture to reflect the poem. He does get about 3 weeks to learn each one so it's not too bad.

On the question of IT, they have 4 computers in their class (20 children) and do have to use them. Certainly the critiques they write after they read a book have to be completed in MSWord.

They also took part in the Virtual Vendee Globe race and were able to have their own boats and every night the children were sending messages to each other about winds and speeds and sails in their spare time.

In the last year the class have been on a trip to Bordeaux for a classical music concert, had an artist visit the school and take the children around the village looking for suitable places to draw, been to a sculpture exhibition in Perigueux and made their own sculpture afterwards, they have made stain glass windows, grown plants, made musical instruments, they go swimming, play sport and these last few weeks have been doing athletics type sport on the village football pitch... I understand tomorrow they get to sing to us all for the end of term spectacle. (just hope it's not 10 green bottles again! :))

I would agree with some of the comments about the leap from primary to college, although not from experience yet, just other parents. On the whole I think we found a great primary school... we've had lots of help, the teacher is firm but fair and the children adore her. My friends tell me we're lucky and maybe we are... I don't recognise the system that some parents here talk about but it clearly must exist for some.

[BIG MAC]

My education was a mish mash of scottish catholic primary schools combined with Jesuit then comprehensive secondary schooling.

What did I learn (And not saying I agree with it now)

Times tables taught he to get to the answer before the ruler hit my legs

Poetry is for slightly 'less manly' men.

Rugby is barbaric but fun

Smoking was cool

Organised religion is just politics with other wordly complications.

I learnt by virtue of being a greengrocer's son how to give the right change and calculate it quickly in my head along with the value of giving people the right quantity and quality.

I learnt carrying a briefcase on your first day at a tough comprehensive isn't a great idea.

Admittedly I read Ivanhoe when I was eight....couldn't put it down

Took me till I was 45 to learn how to relax properly...Thank you France

[Kitty]

I echo Rose's comments about the breadth of activities, my son being a similar age to hers (but just at the end of CM1).   For example, my son went for a week's skiing in the Pyrenees at a heavily subsidised (by the Mairie) cost of 100 euros.

Another difference between French and British primary schools:  The French teach the children intensively right to the end of the summer term.  My son has been having daily classroom tests this week.  His former classmates in the UK effectively finished academic work at the end of May after the SATS, when British primary schools seem to completely wind down.

My son's school did have this afternoon off from academic work in order for everyone to go and clean the beach.  Everyone took their bikes in (every single chiild has a bike, apparently) and they cycled en masse to the beach, spent a couple of hours there picking up litter and cycled back.  I suspect that tomorrow, they will have to write about the experience....

My main gripe about French primary school is the aloof attitude of teachers (parents are kept firmly at the school gate) but I'm getting used to this - sort of.  My son says that the teachers are fine once all the parents have gone home. [:D]

 

[DancingFairy]

[quote user="Cathy"]

Another difference between French and British primary schools:  The French teach the children intensively right to the end of the summer term.  My son has been having daily classroom tests this week.  His former classmates in the UK effectively finished academic work at the end of May after the SATS, when British primary schools seem to completely wind down.

[/quote]

You cannot generalise like that.   Our école primaire finished academic work 2 weeks ago.   For most of June they do nothing but drawing and playing.  Perhaps your teachers are inefficient, and could not finish the course work in time?

 

[odile]

[quote user="Frenchie"]

Please, JR, read your PMs .. ! [:)]

School in the UK encourages more creativity maybe, but I think on the whole, the French education system is better.

 

[/quote]  Coucou Frenchie - I think it is very hard to generalise, as mentioned above - good and bad everywhere - and it also so depends on the child. For me a UK education would have been fantastic - so I wouldn't have had to spend 3 years at Lycee studying physics, chemistry and maths- a total waste. I couldn't remember a thing about either. But I would have loved, and thrived on, learning other languages and have more time for history and other topics. Perhaps G. would enjoy the UK system too.

So depends on the child. I taught for 20+ years in 4 different schools, 4 different stages, in the UK - and for the first time - I'll disagree with you.

xxxOdile

[Keni]

How now faerie, wither wander'st thou? and so on, parrot fashion means I can, (unfortunately) still recite Shakespeare 40 years later and my hubby's retention of French is far better than mine - we had language labs for French, so I did not retain much French which is why I am at night school now.

Going by my daughter's friends who left the Uk when she was eleven, her schooling was far stricter than what my daughter was going through, but strangely, my daughter has found work, but my friends daughters are having it tough, mainly because even though they are fluent and have gone through french college, they are 'discriminated' against for being English it appears!

My personal view seems to be even though the French system I felt was better, it looks better for those born there, rather than those simply being educated there.

[Frenchie]

[quote user="odile"]

  Coucou Frenchie - I think it is very hard to generalise, as mentioned above - good and bad everywhere - and it also so depends on the child. For me a UK education would have been fantastic - so I wouldn't have had to spend 3 years at Lycee studying physics, chemistry and maths- a total waste.
[/quote]

Dear Odile, Yes, I guess this is where we disagree.

I hated math at school, but now I'm glad I had to take the subject til the Bac, because I think studying all subjects is a way to keep children's and teens'  minds open  .

For instance, we all know that maths are good to help develop a certain logic, and literature is good to develop sensitivity, etc...

I took a bac L ( was called A then), the most important topics were philosophy , French literature, history, geography, and languages ( English and Italian in my case.) But stiull I had to take math and physics. " culture générale, ouverture d 'esprit.. "

But I get your point.

XXX    

[odile]

good friends can always agree to disagree xxx

It would be great if we could have a system which takes the best of both! Too good to be true. I think perhaps that we had very bad science/maths teachers in the 60s - lots of 'bourrage' de crane, but never an explanation. Our science teachers were excellent scientists - but absolutely dreadful teachers. They had no empathy for anybody who found scientific concepts difficult- and just couldn't or wouldn't try to explain. I learnt enough to pass the exam by regurgitating- then quickly forgot all about it. a total waste of time, mine and theirs.

I do feel that the French system relies too much on learning by rote and not analysing. Look at the English exam for the Bac- the oral has practically no value- when in the UK speaking/debating skills equal written performance, and so do aural/listening skills, both for the Bac and Uni. I had a student from Rouen uni who had failed her first year oral exam. The only oral proficiency test done was to read a text written in phonetics.

[BIG MAC]

Good friends can always agree to disagree.

That made my day...thank you.

[Frenchie]

That s what friends are for...

[:)]

Talking, sharing, without arguing...

And yes, I love and respect Odile, she is a great person.