maternelle | Lauren's Teaching Eportfolio

Throughout my time in Orléans, I have noticed some key differences in the French lifestyle compared to the Scottish lifestyle, which have been interesting for me to experience.

One thing I have observed during my time here is that the relationships between the children and the teachers are quite different from in Scotland. I have noticed an increased level of respect from the children towards any adult, which is evidenced in some of their mannerisms. For example, whenever another adult enters the classroom, the whole class stands up as a sign of respect to their authority and they then wait to be told to sit back down. In response, I feel as though the teachers are more trusting of the pupils and there is an extra level of maturity from the children, even in CP, which I have seen when I have accompanied the children outside the school grounds.

Perhaps this increased level of maturity comes from the difference in the school structure and the ages at which a child reaches each stage. Children do not start formal schooling until age 6, making them a whole year older and more experienced than the children starting school in Scotland. Equally influential is the amount of time they spend in “maternelle” or nursery school. Children can attend nursery school from the age of 3 until they are 6, though attendance is not compulsory.

Recent debate in France has arose from French President, Emmanuel Macron’s declaration that school will be compulsory from the age of 3 from 2019, which has sparked more concern regarding teacher shortages in France, a large issue. Cortes (2018) explains in his article for Marianne that if Macron’s plan was to go ahead, a minimum of 800 new teaching positions would have to be created to accommodate what is estimated as a further 25,000 pupils. This will be difficult for the French Government as they are already facing teacher shortages, with one article explaining that people are not even considering the profession are they are put off by the insufficient wages and how difficult it is to enter the field academically (Bancaud, 2017). Teacher shortages is an issue that has also plagued Scotland in recent years, however, the cultural aspects of the job, such as the difficult testing to achieve the qualification and the inability for teachers to choose where they want to work has made the profession even less desirable to the French.

Not only is the structure of the school different, the management of the school is also slightly different. The main difference is that the Headteacher or “directeur/directrice” is part of the teaching staff and is responsible for their own class. At my school, the teacher was present in the class 4 days a week and the children had another teacher on Tuesdays. The Ministry of Education (2014) outline three main responsibilities of a Headteacher above and beyond a normal staff member, which are: to have pedagogical control, to control the operation of the school and to maintain relationships with parents and partners of the school. In Scotland, the Headteacher would take a backseat from teaching in order to perform these extra duties, however, in France, this is not the case. As a result, I felt as though the Headteacher’s attention was divided quite often as she performed the role of both a teacher and a director simultaneously, which must put a lot of strain on these teachers.

References

Bancaud, D. (2017) ‘How to fight against the shortage of teachers in the primary?’, 20 Minutes, 11 October. Available at: https://www.20minutes.fr/societe/2149171-20171011-comment-lutter-contre-penurie-profs-primaire (Accessed: 6 April 2018).

Cortes, A. (2018) ‘Preschool compulsory from 3 years old: ok, but with which teachers?’, Marianne, 28 March. Available at :https://www.marianne.net/societe/ecole-maternelle-obligatoire-des-3-ans-d-accord-mais-avec-quels-profs (Accessed: 4 April 2018).

Ministry of Education (2014) The Job of the School Director. Available at: http://eduscol.education.fr/cid82065/le-metier-de-directeur-d-ecole.html (Accessed: 5 April 2018).

For my Learning from Life Placement, I am doing a six-week block at a French primary school called école elémentaire “Bel-Air” in the La Chappelle St Mesmin area of Orléans. As part of my placement, I am observing and teaching in all the classes across the school.

There are 8 classes in this school:

CP with M. Habault
CP with Mmes. Da Rocha Foucher
CP/CE1 with Mme Serrait
CE1 with Mme Bertrand
CE2 with Mme Berthier and Mme Rio
CE2/CM1 with Mme Leslie
CM1/CM2 with Mme Sarrant
CM2 with Mme Perrin

The school building spans two floors, with two classes on the ground floor, which can only be accessed from the outside, as well as a music room, the staff room with an adjoining reprographics area and the director’s office. On the top floor are the remaining six classrooms, as well as separate toilets for children and adults, and three other rooms used for different purposes. These three rooms are: a computer suite, a library and a multipurpose room used for T.A.P activities. The classrooms in the school are all of equal size and shape, though some year groups are bigger than others, meaning that the class sizes range from 24-30 children per class.

The grounds surrounding the building are a decent size for the children to play. In the playground, it is mostly concrete; though there are specific areas dedicated to different sports, such as a basketball net, a football pitch and some tables for table tennis. There are specific rules for the playground that the students are aware of that concern behaviour and use of equipment. The atmosphere of the school is very inclusive, and so on the wall outside there is a large notice board, where students can find the rules and rota of the playground, as well as information about upcoming school events and a menu for the school canteen.

Around the back of the building, there is a garden area where the children have planted different fruits and vegetables and I have seen this area being used for educational purposes. As far as I am aware, there is rota to determine which class plays with some of the equipment available on a specific day. The teachers also have a rota for when they are on playground duty and a teacher is always outside 10 minutes before school starts, to welcome the children, then again at 10 o’clock for the 15-minute break. At lunch two teachers return outside 10 minutes before the end to re-welcome any children who went home for lunch, then lastly, they return outside at 3 o’clock for 15 minutes to watch the children during the second break. The gates to enter the school are always locked during school hours with only a teacher possessing a key, so each teacher escorts their class to the gate at the end of the day.

Across from the school, there is a sports area, which is used by the teachers for lessons and activities. There is also a rota for the use of this, with each class entitled to an hour and 40 minute slot each week. The canteen area of the school is separate from the main building and classes take it in turn to eat there lunch there every day. Also separate yet connected to the school is the école maternelle, which is a nursery school for 3-5 year olds.