Outstanding or outdated? The ins and outs of French education

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Grab you book bags! In this episode of French Connections, Genie Godula and Florence Villeminot head back to school to explore the ins and outs of France’s education system. The standard is considered high and students who go through the system have the reputation of being well-rounded. But critics say it’s rigid, strict and old fashioned. We speak to author Peter Gumbel about the style of French teaching and why so many students fail. Also, why do French kids tend to have the same handwriting?

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[shawngilliland]

Peter Gumbel's comments and observations are fascinating. Thank you for this very interesting video!

[JulietteTsvigun]

Yessss! Stress is bad, bad for the students/pupils. I have been in a highly demanding school and it should not be the norm. One may choose to attend a school that has a higher standards in terms of grades, homework in-class hours or individual study, but it has to be a choice!

[patrickmcshane]

Not only you learn what you are exposed to, you don't learn what you are not exposed to.

[patrickmcshane]

A 16 year old knows what he wants to do with his life...hmm

[carolinebenforado]

Thank you so much for this video. I taught "le creative writing" at a French university. Many of my students rose to the task, while many others never got the message that it's ok to express yourself. Also they were mystified with the smile faces that I drew next to their grades. Qu'est-ce que c'est que ca?

[millionsofpeople]

watched this in school for french and this gave a lot of information! thanks!

[aroosanaveed]

Here in Pakistan only 20% passes in high school. We have a lot of thinngs to learn from you guys.

[nutterbutter]

My French teacher taught English in Bretagne and she said all the kids were robots. The have very, very little creative freedom. Needless to say, she came back to the US to teach High School French instead 🇫🇷 🇺🇸

[lovekenmaforlife]

I go to a French school and the work is not that stressful.

[leesteal]

I wish you guys had spoken about the board that the little girl has in her bag.

[remilannes.linguistique]

I follow American channels that are saying that a lot of American teachers are quitting teaching and why they are quitting. It's almost the same here. Now I guess it also depends on the neiborhood.

[OptLab]

I don't know if it's the system or because of ethnic/social issues, but the level of the french in international rankings collapsed in the past decades: 26th in the PISA rankings.
One must not confond well educated by the parents, and well taught/trained.

[tronghai]

France education is a big lie to the public. 250000 students or more on the work market each year without any right skills. For in the name of equality the system drive the youngsters to an dead end. As long as the professional technical system is abandonned in a bad stake then those students cannot have a right path to adapt to their future work. The gap between the technical and the high end education should be able to link. The technical professional university does not have rightful skill teachers and fundings for their performance link to the need of the industries like in Britain and Germany. France equality cannot lie to their youth anymore and any further. There is no education pathway better noble for another it just you have to fit the right stance of performance of one student for their top abilities to choose their own path. France cannot lie anymore to the 250000 students each year jobless to a dead end future.

[annafihoq]

When she goes from one to the other . My God!!!!

[patriot]

Très intéressant 🤔
Le système québécois donne des résultats exceptionnels au test PISA. Un filon linguistique ici 👈?

[patrickmcshane]

Are the two sisters Molly's sister?

[remilannes.linguistique]

French schools were good until the 60’s and okay until the 80's. Then it kept decaying and decaying. Of course there are still excellent students but on the average it has become troublesome.

[annecaro.]

well, this interesting video is no longer up to date !!!
school has been digitalized.
Baccalauréat is not longer organized as presented (L, ES, S) due to the Réforme, and the finals due to the covid has been "given" regarding the school year, and limited to the Grand Oral this year.
So, a lot has changed, in short what used to be inspirational formany foreign countries, has recently been "americanized" !!

[AlbandAquino]

Cats around the world approve of french. As shown in the video.
It's proof by itself. Cats already rule the world so ....

[SterefYt]

Le stress est enorme et les prof senfiche