For those of you who might not know it, I am a full-time college student. This semester I happen to be taking my very first foreign language class: French!
Today in class, we learned that in France, the government of France controls education. Therefore, someone in grade 8 in Paris is getting pretty much the same education as someone going to school in the same grade in the town of Nice. I say “pretty much” because the curriculum is the same, but every teacher is different so there could be some minor differences.
We also learned that children can start school, free of charge to the parents, at age 2, and that most children (somewhere around 98%) are in school at age 3. The classes in France are very structured, and very comprehensive, and that just before a child is promoted to the High School level, they are tested in their aptitude and it is decided what their best course of schooling should be for high school, whether that be to go into some sort of trade (such as carpentry or plumbing) or prepare to go on to university. They are also never taught how to print letters. It is cursive handwriting from day one. Continue reading »
