Thanks, Jennifer, this was interesting. I taught at a French university for 30 years, so I'm pretty familiar with the system and (sorry to say!) your description doesn't surprise me. I'm glad, though, that Theadora seems to have found a congenial lycée. The system is rigid, indeed, but it's loosened up in the last couple of generations. Back in the 70s, only about 25% of French students even got the bac. Not because they weren't as clever as kids elsewhere, but because standards were tough. If a kid couldn't do a quadratric equation and correctly conjugate the subjunctive, well then, screw you, was the prevailing attitude. Those days are fading but it's still largely assumed that people will work from the same standardized template. For instance, students often have the same reading lists, even in the first couple of years of university. Those of us who push back against it, questioning the conformism, will often be met with the response that we are undermining égalité and the foundations of free education in the Republic, yadda yadda, for the sake of a dumbed-down American consumerist attitude. (I exaggerate only a little...) All that said, there are good things in the system, IF (and it is an IF), a student can find their niche. Universities remain largely free, as well as the selective prépa and grandes écoles. For whatever it's worth, here's a link to a short piece I wrote a long time ago about speaking American English in a university department (Paris VII) that emphasized teaching British English, in the RP accent: https://www.cairn.info/revue-francaise-d-etudes-americaines-2004-2-page-76.htm
Thank you, Charles! I am very interested in hearing more about your experiences. Obviously you know the system much better than we do, as we're in our early stage of residency here! I loved your piece, particularly "who came to class, it seemed, as something to do between cigarettes." I'm always so tempted to tell these people, you are so going to hate chemo.....
Well, the tobacco situation has actually gotten better, believe it or not. My experiences in the system are pretty much limited to my corner of teaching at the university, though I heard a lot of stories from students I got to know, or from friends and colleagues whose children were trying to find their way. As a writer, it took me a while to fit in, and I definitely had to play by their rules. Here's a more academic piece that was written for a French audience: https://journals.openedition.org/erea/15054
One of these days we really must sit down together and have a coffee and a long chat! I have so many questions. How you ended up at your university, etc. Let me know if you ever need a visiting writer! My schedule is about to get a lot more flexible as I'm done with chemo, apparently (more about this in a future newsletter). I appreciate your comments and sharing your pieces! So terrific.
Will be thinking about you during the chemo and hope it goes well. I've recently retired from my job at the U of Poitiers and am based in Brussels. Yes, I hope we can cross paths someday and get better acquainted!
Thanks, Jennifer, this was interesting. I taught at a French university for 30 years, so I'm pretty familiar with the system and (sorry to say!) your description doesn't surprise me. I'm glad, though, that Theadora seems to have found a congenial lycée. The system is rigid, indeed, but it's loosened up in the last couple of generations. Back in the 70s, only about 25% of French students even got the bac. Not because they weren't as clever as kids elsewhere, but because standards were tough. If a kid couldn't do a quadratric equation and correctly conjugate the subjunctive, well then, screw you, was the prevailing attitude. Those days are fading but it's still largely assumed that people will work from the same standardized template. For instance, students often have the same reading lists, even in the first couple of years of university. Those of us who push back against it, questioning the conformism, will often be met with the response that we are undermining égalité and the foundations of free education in the Republic, yadda yadda, for the sake of a dumbed-down American consumerist attitude. (I exaggerate only a little...) All that said, there are good things in the system, IF (and it is an IF), a student can find their niche. Universities remain largely free, as well as the selective prépa and grandes écoles. For whatever it's worth, here's a link to a short piece I wrote a long time ago about speaking American English in a university department (Paris VII) that emphasized teaching British English, in the RP accent: https://www.cairn.info/revue-francaise-d-etudes-americaines-2004-2-page-76.htm
Thank you, Charles! I am very interested in hearing more about your experiences. Obviously you know the system much better than we do, as we're in our early stage of residency here! I loved your piece, particularly "who came to class, it seemed, as something to do between cigarettes." I'm always so tempted to tell these people, you are so going to hate chemo.....
Well, the tobacco situation has actually gotten better, believe it or not. My experiences in the system are pretty much limited to my corner of teaching at the university, though I heard a lot of stories from students I got to know, or from friends and colleagues whose children were trying to find their way. As a writer, it took me a while to fit in, and I definitely had to play by their rules. Here's a more academic piece that was written for a French audience: https://journals.openedition.org/erea/15054
One of these days we really must sit down together and have a coffee and a long chat! I have so many questions. How you ended up at your university, etc. Let me know if you ever need a visiting writer! My schedule is about to get a lot more flexible as I'm done with chemo, apparently (more about this in a future newsletter). I appreciate your comments and sharing your pieces! So terrific.
Will be thinking about you during the chemo and hope it goes well. I've recently retired from my job at the U of Poitiers and am based in Brussels. Yes, I hope we can cross paths someday and get better acquainted!