Aero: Brent Roberts – France 2018 – Life at School

Posted by LEAF Architect on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Aero: Brent Roberts – France 2018 – Life at School

…

Brent Roberts

Life in school at France is quite different from America. In some ways I feel that these differences have their advantages; however, in other ways I feel they have disadvantages as well. Regardless though, the differences provided an interesting and unique experience. I’d also like to note that, because of my being a temporary visitor to this school, many of my experiences likely differed greatly from those of a regular student.

I truly enjoyed what little time I spent in the French school. One of the most memorable differences to me was their lunches. I couldn’t get used to the chaos of the lines in the cafeteria. They seemed to be everywhere which made me feel unsure and even a little uncomfortable at times. However, the food options and quality belittle those of any school I’ve been to. I wasn’t even sure what most of what I ate was; however, it was all incredible. They had a lot of different choices and allowed you to take as much bread as you wanted. I saw one student walk up and grab about 8 pieces of bread.

Another difference that was very memorable was the hospitality of the teachers and staff present at the times I was in the school. Although this was likely one of the differences I experienced as a result of being a temporary visitor, it still surprised me. At one point I became separated from the rest of my group. Two teachers, whom I didn’t know, allowed me to stay in the conference room and gave me coffee while they attempted to help me find the rest of my group. Aside from them, many of the teachers and staff enjoyed talking to me and asking questions about America and my goals.

The level of English spoken by the students and staff surprised me. Only a few seemed like they were actually fluent in English. However, almost all of those I met knew enough to perform at least basic communication. Comparatively, I find that second languages in America are quite rare. The students seemed to enjoy talking about politics in America. They seemed open to ideas rather than the over-bias I’ve come to expect from the subject in America.

Another thing I noticed was the freedom the students have. It was common to find groups lounging around in the hallways. From what I understand there is a lot more leniency in attending classes. The choice is up to the students to make. This, to me, is very debatable. In one view point the added freedom might make the students feel less pressure, which is a common problem for American students. However, I feel like too much freedom can cause an increase in drop-outs and failure.

My in-class experiences seemed to mostly be built around the fact that there were Americans there. Most of them consisted of helping French students, including our hosts, translate papers. However, I did have one class in which the given work seemed more normal. We were paired into groups of 4 and given statistic questions, relating to media, to fill out using a booklet. If it weren’t for the language barrier, I feel like this would have been boring. It was simply copying information we found in the booklet onto the corresponding questions on our paper. However, working with French students to understand the booklet and questions provided challenge and fun to this otherwise tedious task.

In conclusion, there were many things I enjoyed about school life in France and some I felt unsure about. I enjoyed the lunches and the time spent with people. However, I have mixed feelings about the freedom granted to students. Also, the classwork seemed a little bit overly tedious. However, this is from the viewpoint of a very short-stayed visitor. I think to truly grasp and compare, I’d need to spend more time with the school life there.

Brent Roberts
Study Abroad – France 2018 @ FLCC

…