Aero: Kayli Schocken – France 2014 – Life at School

Aero: Kayli Schocken – France 2014 – Life at School
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project

Aero: Kayli Schocken – France 2014 – Life at School

Kayli Schocken

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was told we would be attending a French High School for the first few days of our trip.  However, what I did imagine wasn’t even close to what the school was really like. When we first got there, I began to realize how different the French high school was from an American high school. The first thing I immediately noticed was that almost every teenager had cigarettes right on school property. It was so strange to see teachers smoking right a long the students, because in America cigarettes cannot even be smoked on school property.  Once we got inside the school it felt much more like a college than a high school. I noticed how many students had free time to come and go as they pleased during their free periods. I remember being in high school and being constantly confined to a classroom, even during my “free” periods. I actually envied how much freedom the French students have.

ML@FLCC France 2014 Flickr Gallery

Although I didn’t attend any college classes, it was interesting to see the college classes that were on the same campus at the high school. I do wish I got to see what it was like in those classes versus the high school. Claire and I attended two English classes. We both noticed how segregated the boys and girls were. They barely interacted and in the classrooms always sat on opposite sides of the room. That was a topic of many conversations through out our trip. In both English classes the teachers used American History in order to teach. They both talked about segregation and how it affected African Americans.  It gave meaning to words instead of just vocabulary on paper. We also attended a class that was about French culture. The teacher talked about the music and instruments used during different time period. That was my favorite part of going to the school because he the teacher made it very interesting. He was so enthusiastic about it, and his students seemed to really enjoy the class. 

We had many discussions about the cost of college in America versus European schools. Many French students were shocked at how much Americans have to pay for college. I’m so envious at how little they have to pay for schooling. 

Learn More: Study abroad with Modern Languages @ FLCC

– Kayli Schocken

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