School, what are you waiting for?
How can we restore the French education system?
Facing the truth
According to the french statistics, there is no decline in the number of top-performing students, but an increasing trend of mediocre pupils slipping down to the bottom. Also, students with moderate difficulties, earlier managing to get by are now barely managing to stay afloat. On the other hand, those with the most struggles are unquestionably sinking.
Furthermore, the social ladder isn’t even being maintained. By leveling the standards out or dragging them down in an effort to eliminate inequalities, we are only making them wider. All we’re achieving is sending out an insidious message: school will make things easier for you because you can’t cope with difficulties.
Although the intention is laudable — ever greater equality — the gap has never been wider between those lucky enough to have parents who support them in their schoolwork and the others, who are unfortunately much more numerous. To this point, simply being born into a wealthy family is no longer a factor for success — the key lies in receiving good teaching and guidance from one’s parents.
Where is this institution that forged me, nurtured me and gave me so much that I wanted to devote my professional life to it?
Mastering the language
The amazing richness of the French language is an asset that we should be proud of, particularly in times when many Anglo-Saxon terms tend to colonize our linguistic heritage. (Let me clarify, English is a lovely language; that’s not the point.)
One word can be represented by a multitude of synonyms, each with its own nuanced meaning that is essential to express our emotions and feelings accurately. Many youths who resort to extreme physical and material violence do so because they have a limited vocabulary and do not possess the ability to accurately express their emotions and thoughts.
Unfortunately, modern-day schools have turned a blind eye to teaching the challenging rules and complex structures of the french language, depriving students of incredible benefits.
So, first, let’s obtain complete proficiency in our native language, French!
Rising the goals
Most of teachers firmly believe that teaching advanced subjects in areas considered to be at a disadvantage is achievable. Moreover, they have done so for long time, thus, it would be disrespectful to them and their pupils to suggest that the hours devoted to demanding subjects such as ancient languages do not provide a good return on investment and are therefore somewhat pointless.
Focusing solely on accommodating things that provide immediate benefits and do not cause inconvenience to students in an attempt to be fair is an error that the younger generation is compelled to endure and will eventually suffer from. School should not sacrifice long-term growth for short-term gain.
As a matter of fact, adolescents are not naturally inclined towards constraints and work; only when they have experienced them, sometimes forcibly, do they realise their benefits. Achieving success not only brings personal fulfillment, but learning from failure and finding the strength to rise back up is equally valuable. Imposing restraints on yourself, whether self-imposed or not, allows you to appreciate and enjoy moments of relaxation and free time more deeply.
So let’s set high expectations!
Setting constraints
How can we explain the fact that today’s young adults express their desire to carry out their military service in the same way as their elders? Is it because they are looking for a strict framework and well-defined points of reference that unfortunately school no longer provides as much as it should?
In cases where families neglect their duty to educate their children, schools no longer serve as a relay, as they once did in the past. The events of May 1968 brought an end to this ambition. “Forbidding to forbid” gave rise to a perception where adults felt stripped of their role as guides.
Without this noble responsibility, the youth lost respect for seniors and began to feel anxiety in a limitless world.
So, let’s consider restrictions as guides rather than obstacles!
Teaching the basics
In particular, the desire to eliminate difficulties has led to a lack of proper teaching of conjugation. It is perceived as too rigid to force verbs into boxes at a time when we are trying to break down boundaries. As a result, children start junior school with no idea of what the subjunctive is, nor of the existence of different modes. Only the indicative is taught, and sometimes the imperative, with the rest being mentioned only on occasion.
Why should pupils be treated like idiots, no longer capable of handling the language of Molière properly? Forget grammatical analysis, daily dictations, or chronology in history! Young adults enter high school and even university with no real grasp of basic arithmetic techniques such as square roots, powers of a number, and algebraic operations as a whole.
These deficiencies lead to confusion and feelings of being overwhelmed, even for those who have a basic understanding of the subject.
So let’s teach them the fundamental knowledge so that they can be armed!
Forming homogeneous classes
Setting them goals that are always demanding but achievable is a basic rule for a teacher and a good leader in general. But this can only be achieved if the group is sufficiently homogeneous to get everyone moving together. Having experimented with this, the ideal is to set up classes at different levels.
Unfortunately, in France, the subject is taboo, yet it is at the heart of the problem of a large number of school failures. How can we expect a student who understands everything at the first attempt, who can’t see where the difficulty lies, to inspire someone who is struggling to progress? This discourages the latter and persuades him to give up or, worse, convinces him that he is incapable, a conclusion that is often heard in mathematics and which is irreversible in the mind of the person who utters it.
Anglo-Saxon countries do not have this complex of grouping students by level and have clearly understood the benefits. Frequent tests, usually in the form of carefully thought-out and tried-and-tested multiple-choice questions, enable progress to be assessed at regular intervals, giving each student the chance to move up to a more advanced group. Because the system is so flexible, students are less intimidated by the possibility of being in different groups.
So, let’s create consistent and organized class groupings so that educators can offer their highest potential in teaching!
Restoring the notion of merit
Excessive egalitarianism has also profoundly altered the notion of merit. The desire for all pupils to be deserving has led to a proliferation of good points being awarded throughout the school career.
The process of keeping primary school boys and girls happy begins with the use of encouraging figures (stamps) who smile and reward their performances in gentle way, without being too harsh about any mistakes made. The importance of grades have been limited in order to avoid causing needless stress and discomfort, although it’s interesting to note that most of them still request to receive grades even when they are not strictly necessary for assignments such as homework.
This shows the extent to which students need benchmarks and comparisons in order to position themselves in the educational landscape, be aware of their strengths, identify their weaknesses, and eventually identify the work that needs to be carried out. It also boosts their motivations when necessary and helps them focus on a particular point. It can potentially cause disappointment when the student expectancy is not reached, but this also is positive as the student is not maintained in an illusion of success and has the opportunity to face the situation with lucidity.
Giving students a fair grade is crucial as it serves a pedagogical function, whereas our modern school system prioritizes avoiding disappointment over objectively assessing performance. This is evident through the significant increase in the number of distinctions in the Baccalauréat over the past two decades, from a mere 1% to over 12% now.
So let’s restore teacher’s legitimacy to give good and bad grades!
Choosing honesty
Yet it seems to me that a basic rule in education in the broadest sense is to never lie to your audience. Students often ask me “What’s the point of doing this?” and I usually reply “Just to get you to think about this question” and sometimes even “Just to do math to train your brain”.
It’s a mistake to pretend and persuade students, for example, that Latin is going to be useful in their everyday lives. Aiming to teach for utility is not the way to go. On the contrary, what will be all the more useful to them in the long term is the ability they will have developed to work on a hard subject, overcome their difficulties and eventually find pleasure and interest in it, which is truly selfless.
The teaching profession has also lost much of its pride in the mission of transmission, as transmission, as such, is considered negatively. You can’t expect your students to be curious and engaged if you are not passionate and proud of the subject matter you are teaching. To move forward, we all need inspiring role models, who can of course be found in our immediate environment where school should be a privileged breeding ground.
So let’s tell the truth to students, “There is a time to learn and a time to understand!”
Restoring excellence
Growing up in a middle-class family, the institution where I received my education opened up numerous opportunities for me and helped me achieve my goals. Upon completing my leaving certificate, I had no clue about preparatory classes. It was only after guidance from my teachers that I chose to pursue this route. Out of my final year, three of us — including myself — have now become math teachers. This goes on to show that there wasn’t any shortage of vocations.
I can state today that school nourished me, forged my will to succeed and built me up largely because I found teachers there in the noblest sense of the term. They made me want to take up the challenge of the teacher’s mission, which is above all to lift pupils up, give them a sense of effort and, if possible, get them to enjoy their work.
Overall, I believe my main duty is to instruct my students on how to empower themselves to reach their goals, regardless if it’s unrelated to mathematics. The ultimate objective is to help them discover a field where they can excel and elevate their sense of self-worth.
So let’s restore quality and vocations will follow!
Staying optimistic
I may seem pessimist, but I’m not. I have a strong belief and a hopeful disposition immersed within my being, towards this educational institution which has bestowed upon me so many valuable gifts and which is not so distant time.
It is crucial to not only increase teachers’ salaries, which is necessary to improve the reputation of a profession that is currently unpopular, but also to refocus on promoting high standards, prioritizing merit, and emphasizing the importance of transmitting knowledge. These aspects should be reinstated as core principles of teaching, as failure to do so could prevent the school system from making a full recovery.
So let’s keep our spirits up as change is inevitable!
Conclusion
High standards engender respect. Rewarding genuine merit creates a healthy sense of pride. Setting accessible challenges generates self-confidence. Being proud of teaching nurtures vocations. And transmitting knowledge strengthens links between generations. Once you’ve experienced it, you want to preserve this virtuous cycle.
