French education: more IS better … for a while
May 7th, 2010 | Published in Comment, Features | 8 Comments
A filled blackboard. Photo: Rainer Ebert
In response to criticism of the education system on Grenoble Life and from the Anglophone community in France, Iain Smears mounts a passionate defence of French schooling.
Many people in the Anglophone community in Grenoble will come into contact with the French education system either through their studies or those of their family members. There are aspects about it which seem to draw criticism from a considerable proportion of the English-speaking community.
In this article, I would like to depict how my own experience of doing maternelle, primaire, collège and lycée in Grenoble, then of going to university in the UK, has shown me the many benefits of the education on offer here. In fact, it is precisely some of those aspects of the system which are often criticised which I would argue have been of value to me in my university studies. I will focus on secondary education, or more specifically the Bac Général, as I have only glimpses and second hand experience of French higher education and cannot claim to know much about the other paths in secondary education.
A major concern for some is the long hours of schooling throughout collège and lycée. I did the Bac Scientifique with the OIB (L’option internationale du baccalauréat), and I’m the first to admit that it was demanding. On a few occasions, I’ve been asked by parents with children about to embark on this path if it’s true that I did 50 hours of work a week. Their frowns of anguish are of little surprise to me when I place a finger on my lip, recollect, then declare that it was probably a dozen or so hours more than that.
I do see the sense in many of the objections to long school days and I will readily concede that perhaps the content of lessons from 5-6 pm isn’t what I remember the best – however, little is said of the end result of French schooling: how does it influence one’s experiences in higher education and after that?
I chose to study mathematics in the UK. Bit by bit, I noticed how my fellow students were finding the course more trying than I was – some would find it hard to do their work on time, others found it hard to get out of bed, some needed vast amounts of caffeine or chocolate to feel ready to take on their work. Someone put my thoughts into words by calling it a “great big hangover for having partied for the previous 18 years.”
For my part, I continued at my usual rhythm inherited from Terminale by learning my lectures as well as I could and doing my homework sooner rather than later. I think that strong discipline not only leads to successfully acquiring the material, but also helps to explore the subject to its fullest, satisfy one’s curiosity and therefore enjoy one’s studies.
The extensive testing and harsh grading schemes in French education also attract criticism. Yet I believe that it is instead very beneficial to get substantial practice of long examinations. Being able to focus and to stay sharp under pressure is an important part of exam technique and I am glad I was able to get practice in this before end-of-year exams at university.
As for the unforgiving grading, it made those good grades well deserved – something in which I found satisfaction. I found that for me and other pupils at school, it encouraged a determined attitude towards trying one’s upmost. Compare this to the comments I have heard of several students in the UK about how they were “spoon-fed just to pass exams” and “weren’t proving [their] own ability, but that of [their] teacher”, which has not helped them find self-confidence and belief in their ability. I think that learning that someone can indeed rise up to a challenge is important for him to value and appreciate his work and also helps in face of future challenges.
It is true that some people can find the difficult grading scheme discouraging. But even though grades matter for later progression, it should be remembered that what is learnt matters most. Whether someone gets a B or C on an A-level or roughly equivalently [i] a 10 on the Bac, what they have gained from school will likely be the same. When that person goes onto university, it is what that person has acquired that will be key. I know of some who struggled in a subject throughout lycée, then needed that knowledge to some extent in their later studies, and have told me since that they felt they were at an advantage against others in their group.
However if there is a clear-cut problem with the grading system, it is that it puts at a disadvantage French students who wish to study abroad, e.g. the UK. This is because admissions tutors might not be aware of the discrepancies between the systems and take estimated grades for the Baccalaureate at face value – i.e. they would assume, say, that an A is worth 16 on the Bac. Things are made worse by the fact that high numbers of UK students get the top mark: according to wikipedia [ii], 43.7% of students taking an A-level in Mathematics got an A in 2007. And unlike A-levels, Baccalaureate students cannot retake exams to improve their grades. This can result in disproportionately demanding offers for Baccalaureate pupils.
A final advantage of the French education system, which is not immediately apparent to those still undertaking it, is that it offers flexibility in later choices. Of those who did the Bac Scientifique in my class, some have gone into media relations, politics, languages, nursing… Some feel that the schooling did not suit them, but what they have done enables them to embark on a wide range of paths afterwards.
In conclusion, even though the French secondary education system has its faults, I hope it will not be forgotten that the overall result of the extensive schooling is threefold. First, it is an opening to numerous topics – it showcases vast bodies of knowledge and works to stimulate the pupil’s mind in all forms. Second, it helps to equip its pupils with the attitude, determination, self-confidence and ethos which are important in all walks of life. Third, it aims to keep as many doors open as possible all the way until the end of the Baccalaureate. Combined, I think these three aspects allow the education system to offer what one generally wants: the freedom to choose one’s way through an opening to the world.
[i] See Gregg West’s page for US-France grade equivalencies. At this time, I believe that somewhat similar equivalencies can be drawn between the UK and France.
[ii] I couldn’t find the original source of this information.
May 12th, 2010 at 9:40 am (#)
Hi Iain,
Being a fellow former international lycée pupil who went on to study in the UK, I agree with you that having been through a French education stands you in good stead in some respects: the system certainly makes you resilient, as you pointed out, and helps you present your ideas logically, be it in essay writing, presentations etc. Nevertheless, I do feel that the system can stifle creativity and spontaneity. Whereas young people in other countries are allowed to start thinking about what they want to do academically and vocationally sooner rather than later, in France 50 % of students don’t even make it into their second year at university (30% fail, 15% move onto a different field and 5% quit their studies altogether – source: this morning’s Grenews). We were lucky to experience a clever mix of educational systems, but a lot of young people experience the limitations of the education nationale.
Best regards,
Rebecca
May 12th, 2010 at 1:28 pm (#)
@ Iain & Rebecca:
As someone who grew up in Britain I can say that I am glad I was able to specialise in the subjects I enjoyed at A-level and wasn’t obliged to continue Maths, for example, until the end of my school education.
What is best for me, however, isn’t necessarily best for the country!
It is worth noting that there have long been calls for a change to the Bac in England. Maybe such a system would guarantee that people like me what have at least a basic grasp of maths …
May 15th, 2010 at 5:18 pm (#)
Okey,I think we have it covered.Now as a teacher myself and as the partner of a long suffering slave of the French education system can we make it clear once again that cutbacks are hitting hard the french school systems and teachers have seen their working conditions and status plummet while at the same time,Sarkos is pushing the french system towards the positive affirmative anglo saxon american model.This is a recipe for lower standards and its exactly the so perceived elitism and exclusion of the french system(In other words its high standards and imperfections_) that will be abandoned in the next two decades for the one size fits all UK approach which will create aN EVEN MORE ELITIST system as the science skilled BAC excellent students flee the public system in their droves! Check out the facts THAT IS SARKOS STATED POLICYS IN EDUCATION
May 16th, 2010 at 12:40 pm (#)
I’m not sure I entirely understand… I entirely agree that the UK system is elitist (but less at school level itself as only a handful of counties still have grammar schools – the true elitism comes when choosing a university), so I don’t see how it can be “one size fits all” at the same time.
The freedom of choice that UK students have when it comes to taking GCSEs and, more particularly, A-Levels is much more tailored to the needs of the individual than the French BAC. Having said that, there are definite advantages to the French system, such as some of those pointed out in this article.
No system is ever going to be “perfect” as different people want to see different things in education.
May 17th, 2010 at 12:35 pm (#)
Yes I agree with you Woody!You dont entirely understand.Recent changes to the system in france favour a more tailored approach designed to dumb down the system overall and zone in on the Science gifted teens who will have less history lit and Geo to bother them as they are streamed out to become the Elite! What will happen to the poor students or those with learning difficultys? in a system where their assistance is being cut back year after year and replaced with DIY like unqualified teachers and so on as Ive stated before.The policy of this present government is that teachers should work more and overall funding be cut while at the same time picking the worst of the Anglo saxon model to follow for the future.They say that this is in the interests of equality and integration,but this is moonshine,You can tinker here and there but the same result will apply.It doesnt matter where the elitism comes in, its programmed from birth and we can see that in the new british PM and the dominance of the eton,oxford cambridge elite in Britain to this day.I do not believe that the french system is perfect but it has long held the Republican ideal and no only pays lip service to it while at the same time cutting back essential services and promoting fake messages of equality and reform!
May 17th, 2010 at 2:45 pm (#)
Hi Gerry,
I think we can all agree that cuts in teachers and funding is a bad thing. However, I’m not sure what evidence there is that France is particularly “picking the worst of the Anglo saxon model to follow for the future”. The bias towards scientific studies in France is not new (so can’t be entirely blamed on the current administration) and also has no resemblance to the UK, as an example of an “Anglo saxon model”. There is no shame to having a humanities or social sciences degree in Britain, nor is it normally an obstacle to having a good career.
I agree that the rigour and refusal to “dumb down” are admirable, but like Woody I think the “one size fits all” tag is more fitting for the rigid French model than in the UK, even if British standards are apparently falling. However, I also agree that lack of teaching assistance is a major problem. With large class sizes you need more than one person to get the best out of the strong students and help those in difficulty.
May 19th, 2010 at 6:22 pm (#)
Well, folks, having read many of the reactions to the article I wrote, I can’t disagree with ANYTHING that has been said concerning the French system which I was criticizing. It’s true that it teaches rigor and good study habits… for those who manage to adapt to it. It’s true as well that it stifles creativity… for those who have no outside source of that in their lives. It’s also true that the grading system pushes the best to real excellence.
And none of the things I originally said about it were meant to say other systems were BETTER. And I’m not for dumbing down the system like some have suggested they do in the U.S. (but the U.S. has an extremely varied school system, each state being a bit different and each city, for that matter…so it’s a bit complicated to talk about the U.S. “system” as a whole… California schools around Palo Alto and Kansas Schools in Wichita are very unalike…)
Simply, one must not forget that 10% of French students leave school with NO qualification. That very early on many become excluded and spend years studying without understanding why they are there and this is a terrible waste of their time and leads to numerous problems of social integration and psychological alienation. And that even among those who do manage to stick it out, the neurotic behaviors and desires not to deal with any reality outside of one’s own personal world are, I am convinced, amplified by this system.
Is there a WORTHWHILE alternative? Maybe not. But it is clear that there are numerous lobbies who do not WANT alternatives to exist, out of fear of losing their jobs, having to call themselves into question or learn a new job, or of having to deal with citizens who know how to get involved and act.
I went to ghetto schools as a child and I am often brought to think that most people from the middle class never had the opportunity to go to school with people who were NOT from the same social classes. The conclusions they draw about how successful the system is are usually based essentially upon their own successful experience, not taking these other people into account.
It is not surprising then that in their desire for EQUALITY, they should impose this same demanding system on everyone, forgetting that everyone is not the same. It’s like asking everyone to start at A and go to Z at the same speed when one is already at Q, has perfect visual recall, is traveling at mach 3 intellectually, and loves maths, while another is not even at A yet, travels at 5 mph, tends to be auditive, has issues with Daddy beating Mommy and the drug dealers outside his elementary school, but is fascinated with history, and a third child who happens to be hyperactive, but really talented with his hands gets no training in that until six years of school have convinced him he is a basket case.
The system, by creating a huge program that lasts all day, leaves no time for options and group work to enrich or compensate, no time for collective expression or individual contacts to deal with outside problems, and the system values intellectual competence to the exclusion of social,political, manual and artistic skills . All this creates a vast chasm between the ruling classes and the rest…, a sense of enduring injustice and social unrest among the “losers” in the system, but also creates individuals who often lack the sense of responsibility, autonomy, respect, and appreciation of the value of others necessary to solve the problems that society has to deal with. Indeed, as Bourdieu, the sociologist suggests, it simply reproduces the same system (classes, domination, consumption…) rather than helping it evolve.
Or at least this remains my conviction after teaching in the U.S. ghetto, rich suburbs and French system (both the ghetto schools and elite schools…) Gregg West
October 21st, 2011 at 12:11 pm (#)
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