By: Barbara Moross,
Former Head of Lower School – American Section, Lycée International de Saint Germain-en-Laye

In France, education is mandatory beginning at age three, and parents are expected to enroll their children in the first year of Pre-school or Maternelle. The three years of Maternelle, Petite Section, Moyenne Section, and Grande Section, make up the first of three 3-year groups or cycles. The last year, Grande Section, is equivalent to American kindergarten. After these first three years, students move to a different building for their elementary school years.

The next five years, which correspond to American grades 1 through 5, are divided into two parts or cycles. The first cycle includes cours préparatoire or CP, cours élémentaire – 1ère année or CE1, and CE2, cours élémentaire – 2ème année. It is called the cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux, and its major goal is to give children a solid grounding in basic skills – “reading, writing, and arithmetic”. The next three years, cours moyen – 1ère année or CM1, cours moyen – 2ème année or CM2, and 6ème comprise the cycle de consolidation. Its goal is to solidify and build on the foundation that was laid in the earlier years.

1 – Cycle des apprentissages premiers

2 – Cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux

3 – Cycle de consolidation

In public and private sous contrat schools, children receive 24 hours of instruction each week. Some children who are experiencing difficulty receive an extra two hours each week of individualized instruction called aide personnalisée. At the end of each cycle, students take national exams to assure that they have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to proceed.

Cycle des apprentissages premiers – PS, MS, and GS

This three-year cycle has for its goal to make children want to go to school to learn and to develop their personality. It is at this level that children will learn together. They will develop their oral language and begin to discover writing, numbers, and other areas of learning. They learn by playing, thinking, and solving problems, practicing, recalling, and memorizing.

Cycle des apprentissages fondamentaux – CP, CE1, and CE2

During this three-year cycle, children learn to read, write, and spell. They are also introduced to some basic notions of French grammar and verb conjugations, which are necessary to be able to spell most words correctly. Reading should be taught using a synthetic phonics approach – children learn to recognize the spellings of sounds and synthesize or blend those sounds together to make words. However, some teachers prefer to use a modified version of this method.

In math, children are taught to work with numbers from 1 to 100. They first learn to add, and then to multiply and subtract. Division comes later. Initiations to geometry and the metric system are also covered. Practicing mental math as well as doing word problems is considered indispensable.

Of the 24 hours per week, roughly ten are spent on language arts, five on mathematics, and the other nine are divided among gym, art (which includes visual and performing arts) and art history, foreign language, social studies, science, citizenship education, and technology. It is important to point out that, unlike American schools, where there are special teachers for most of these subjects, the French instituteur or classroom teacher is often responsible for teaching everything.

Neatness (le soin) counts! From the beginning there is an emphasis on the presentation of one’s work. French teachers expect that even young children will pay attention and write clearly between rather narrow lines. Most children will be introduced to using a fountain pen in CE1 or CE2. Students learn to write in cursive in first grade and never go through a printing stage. Upper case letters, which can be complicated to replicate, are not taught until CE1.

It is important to recognize that the transition from maternelle to elementary school can be difficult for some children. They are expected to stay seated at a desk for long periods of time and listen to the teacher. In the worst cases, teachers might humiliate children by reprimanding them publicly. And although methods are changing slowly, France is far from the cutting edge of modern pedagogy. Attempts at differentiation of instruction and active, child-centered learning are being made, but they are not the norm.

Cycle de consolidation – CM1, CM2, and 6eme

During the first two years of this cycle, students are still in elementary school. Eight of the 24 hours of instruction each week are devoted to language arts and five to mathematics. The remaining eleven hours are split among the other subjects as above. The content presented builds on what the students have learned before. At this stage, students are expected to work more independently and gradually become autonomous. The goal is to prepare them for the departmentalized approach that they will encounter once they reach collège (middle school). For further detail in French on the national curriculum, consult www.education.gouv.fr.

A Word on Homework

In 1956 an official French text was published stating that “Aucun devoir écrit, soit obligatoire, soit facultatif, ne sera demandé aux élèves en dehors de la classe.” (No written homework). This text was reaffirmed several times over the years in 1958, 1962, 1964, 1994, 2002, and most recently in 2020. Despite this directive, however, it is rarely the case that children have no written homework. Amounts vary among teachers, and from grade to grade, as well as from school to school. Mostly, children have things to memorize or study, but invariably there will be written exercises to complete as well.

This overview gives an idea of how the school system is organized throughout the country. However, as is the case around the world and through the centuries, your child’s experience will depend largely on the individual teacher he or she is assigned from year to year.

Think back to when you learned to read. I don’t really remember it, do you? I just remember being able to read. I don’t remember putting any effort in (although I am sure my mother would remember the homework). This is pretty common in people for whom learning to read was just one quick stop on our educational journey. But what an important stop! It opened the world to all the other things we needed to learn. 

What is a reading order/dyslexia?

However, that is not the only experience of learning to read. For plenty of people, for plenty of reasons, learning to read was a hard-won battle. A reading disorder is one possible reason for children struggling to learn to read. So, how do you know if your child has a reading disorder? And if you suspect they do, what should you do about it? 

Dyslexia is a neurological condition that causes difficulties with learning to read and spell (so it will affect both reading and writing). Dyslexia is only ONE name for reading disorders – just because you do not meet the standard criteria for dyslexia does not mean you do not have a reading disorder. These problems are not related to intelligence. Bilingual people with dyslexia will typically have the same problems learning to read in all their languages. 

It is diagnosed by a psychologist (or sometimes a speech therapist) and is treated mostly by speech and language therapists (orthophonistes in France). In order to be considered for testing, children must have shown little progress after sustained normal literacy instruction. 

Dyslexia runs in families, so if someone in your family has been diagnosed with it, it might be something you need to be extra vigilant about. 

What might a child with dyslexia look like in the classroom or at home?

There are lots of red flags you can look out for early in order to identify children who might be at risk of reading disorders. First and foremost, it tends to present as a difficulty learning letter-sound correspondence despite a lot of normal instruction and reinforcement. That means knowing that ‘A’ says ‘ah’ etc. Teachers might report having tried different methods but nothing really making a difference. There may also be the classic sign of mixing up mirror letters or ones that look or sound similar (p/d/b/q, k/g or m/n). *It’s important to note that typical children do this too but remediate it with typical help in class.

You might also notice children who make the same mistakes over and over again despite teaching on the point. Sometimes, you may not be able to put your finger on it, but these are children for whom reading is a BATTLE. Children who have difficulty reading often compensate by making a fuss or even refusing to do literacy tasks completely – some goof off and use distraction techniques to make it seem like they just don’t care or are not trying. These are children for whom reading requires HUGE amounts of mental energy (they might be physically exhausted from literacy work) so sometimes, not doing it is just the best option.

Finally, it might be a child who, after huge effort, has learned to read (probably slowly) but still has difficulty understanding what they read.

How to Get Help

In France, it is the orthophoniste who treats will treat dyslexia. If you’re worried about your child’s reading and have already given all the ‘usual tricks’ a go, you should speak to your GP or paediatrican and ask for an ordonnance (referral) for assessment and treatment. After assessment, if dyslexia is suspected your therapist will offer you therapy sessions to help remediate, compensate and provide education to both you and your child. They might also have information on special classes and institutions set up to help people with severe dyslexia and accommodations that might be afforded children for school or exams. Waiting lists can be long, so call around and be persistent. Lastly, try not to worry ☺. Help is available and lots of very successful people have dyslexia (Richard Branson, Einstein and Walt Disney to name but a few), so with the right support your child will still have a bright future ahead of them!

-Marie Robert, SLT/Orthophoniste

Marie Robert is an Irish Speech and Language Therapist and children’s author, currently working just outside of Paris. She treats children from birth to 18 years of age. Marie treats a wide range of speech and language delays and disorders and specializes in treating developmental language disorder.

Sweet Home Alabama Part 1 – Jennifer Hua

My husband and I have four children, all of whom have been educated in the French school system. When I’d hear them complain about school, I always wished that they could experience an American school, with its electives, school spirit, and generally more positive relationship with the teachers. They were not having the fun learning experience that I remembered. I also wanted them to experience more of American culture than what they got during our annual three-week summer blasts to visit family in the US. When I was in high school, I was an AFS exchange student to Australia, and my French husband had likewise experienced family stays in England and Canada when he was younger, so we envisioned sending our kids abroad via a family stay, where they could attend the local high school.

When our third daughter Katie entered 2nde, she was very insistent from the start that she wanted to spend a year in the US. At her lycée, we were told that the best time to do an exchange would be between 2nde and 1ère, due to the Bac. If she were only gone one trimester, the school would consider admitting her back as a 1ère, but if she wanted to be gone a whole school year, then she would essentially lose a year here in France. Our lycée, which is private, was willing to hold a spot for her the following year. Other lycées may be different.

Katie did not want to stay with relatives; she wanted an experience more like what we had had. We could have gone the easier route of applying through an exchange student organization, such as AFS or YFU, but we didn’t see the need, since our daughter had a US passport, and we figured our network of family and friends would surely put us in touch with families interested in hosting her. We were offering an eventual reciprocal hosting here.  Plus, the cost of a program to the US was fairly prohibitive – nearly 12,000€. We started looking seriously for possible host families in December; I contacted old school friends, and some online friends. Since Katie was a kayaker, my sister in South Carolina also posted a notice on a regional kayaking board. One friend suggested that our daughter write up a letter introducing herself; I then distributed this to everybody I could think of.

We ended up with three to four good solid leads by the end of January, one being a university professor in Virginia who’d seen the kayaking board notice! After much deliberation and exchanges of emails back and forth trying to get to know the families, we talked them over with Katie, and in mid-February we decided on a family in Alabama that had two teenage daughters, one of whom was a serious kayaker. The mother taught French and English at the local high school. They happened to be friends of a colleague of my sister’s. We were able to meet the mother in Paris in the spring when she brought a group of her students to Europe.

In the meantime, we also contacted AFS, the Rotary Club, the US Consulate, the local high school near my parents’, and AAWE for any and all information that we might need, such as insurance and school enrollment requirements. We were trying to have all our bases covered, but we got quite a bit of conflicting information, which was very frustrating.  

Katie’s future host family quickly began running into difficulty getting her enrolled in their local high school.  The principal kept insisting that she needed a J-1 visa to enroll as an exchange student. I had to forward a written confirmation from the consulate in Paris that an American citizen with an American passport did NOT need a visa!  Basically, since she was not with an exchange program, the school would not enroll her unless she could prove Alabama residency. I have since learned that this is a very common problem.  The host family went to great lengths, up to meeting with the school district superintendent, to make this work, and after much back and forth it was finally decided that our only option would be to grant the host parents legal guardianship of Katie. Because this was Alabama, it would essentially be permanent guardianship. This was a huge step for us to take, but we really liked and trusted this family, and felt comfortable making this decision. We filled out a form that I’d downloaded from the internet and had it notarized at the consulate in Paris, stating that we were handing over our parental rights. Gulp. The host family then used this form when they went in front of the judge in Alabama family court to claim guardianship. This ended up costing us around $850 in attorney fees, plus $50 for the notarization. This whole process took until the end of May to finally get settled. We were on tenterhooks all these months, not knowing if Katie was going to be able to go or not. Finally, we were able to tell her that, yes, she was going to be able to spend a year in the US with a host family and experience an American high school!

I made up a Word document detailing all of her vaccinations in English, and attached a copy of her French carnet de santé to it. I had to fill out an Alabama health department medical certificate, which our pediatrician here then signed. The anglais bilingue office at our lycée prepared a school transcript, along with a description of how to read the French grading for the school.  She was now ready to officially start school. 

Look for Part 2 of “Sweet Home Alabama” in mid-April.

About Jennifer Hua

Jennifer is a stay at home mom to four wonderful children, all now young adults, two of whom were born in France. She also volunteers with AAWE on the Board of Directors – Executive Committee as our Treasurer.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – Part 1

This is the first of a two-part series on ADHD in France. In this part, I will tell you the basics of ADHD and how it is perceived in France. The second part will be a more practical guide on what to do if your child has an ADHD diagnosis and you are moving to France, or if you already live in France and suspect that your child might have attention deficit problems. 

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental diagnosis that children and adolescents commonly receive. It is increasingly recognized in adults as well.  The latest research indicates that there is no significant difference in numbers of cases between North America and Europe. However, there are major differences between the United States and France in how the diagnosis is made and how children with this problem are handled, both by the medical establishment and in school. In French, ADHD is called “TDAH” (Trouble deficit de l’attention/hyperactivité). 

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by problems with sustained attention, impulse control and activity level. Currently, there are three types of attention deficit disorders recognized by the psychiatric community:

• ADHD predominantly inattentive type is diagnosed when the child is mostly plagued by difficulties with keeping his/her attention focused for a time and at a level thought to be typical of his/her age. This child is often seen as dreamy or “lost in space.” He/she may have difficulties paying attention in class and completing homework, following through on assignments or activities, and organizing and structuring work or other tasks. He/she is often forgetful, loses things and is easily distracted.

• ADHD predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type is diagnosed when a child has great difficulty sitting still or has a level of physical activity which is thought to be significantly greater than the norm. This child is often seen as “bouncing off the walls,” fidgets, has trouble waiting his/her turn, talks excessively, blurts out answers, interrupts conversations, and is often described by teachers as being disruptive in class.  

• ADHD combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive type is diagnosed when a child has trouble with both attention and is also hyperactive and impulsive. 

In all cases, to receive this diagnosis, the symptoms must have begun before the age of twelve years and persist for at least six months. Symptoms must be present in at least two spheres of the child’s life (e.g., home and school) and there must be significant disruption or interference with adaptive social, academic, or occupational functioning.

In France, historically, ADHD has not been recognized as a condition. Since child psychiatry was long in the hands of psychoanalytically trained psychiatrists, such behavior was seen as a manifestation of anxiety or of another emotional disturbance. Often this behavior pattern was considered to be the result of poor or inadequate parenting. However, slowly over the past 20 years, there has been increasing recognition among French psychiatrists and psychologists of ADHD as a valid diagnosis that requires proper identification and treatment. There are now, particularly among younger child psychiatrists and psychologists, many who understand ADHD, know how to diagnose it and are competent in prescribing or referring children for appropriate and empirically validated treatment modalities.

Energy is building and awareness of the needs of children with ADHD is growing throughout Europe. In terms of helping individual children in France, awareness of ADHD is growing, thanks largely to the efforts of advocacy groups. Lawmakers and school administrators are responding and are beginning to tackle the challenge of educating children with learning and behavioral differences. In 2015, “Guidelines to follow for children and adolescents suspected of having ADHD” was published by the Haute Autorité de Santé (the French Health Authority). You can find the document here in French. It provides recommendations for appropriate practice to help physicians identify cases of ADHD, recommend proper diagnostic and evaluation procedures, and indicates procedures for coordinating treatment among the primary physician and the treating specialists. Unfortunately, these recommendations are not always followed by French physicians. Be careful, knowledge of ADHD is evolving all the time, so you might find yourself talking to a physician or a psychiatrist with some knowledge but who still holds outdated notions about the condition.

If you want an evaluation or treatment at the hospital, the wait is often several months long; you will need a letter of referral from a physician before you can be put on the waiting list. Alternatively, you can call the psychiatry department at Hôpital Robert Debré and ask for a referral to a psychiatrist in private practice. Slowly, other major hospital child psychiatry departments are becoming more familiar and competent in dealing with ADHD.

If you suspect your child has ADHD, you should consult a competent psychiatrist. You may also, especially if you and/or your child are not yet fluent in French, make an appointment with one of many Anglophone psychologists trained abroad, who, unlike their French counterparts, are used to recognizing ADHD, and can provide counseling and make appropriate referrals if needed. You can find such practitioners on SPRINT, an interdisciplinary group of professionals who work with English-speaking children with special needs. For French speakers, HyperSupers – TDAH France, is a large parent support association with a volunteer network established throughout the country. The association website outlines the steps that should be taken to acquire special provisions for your child at school and your local association volunteer can steer you to the appropriate professionals and parent support group in your region. Another source of information and support is a parent association called EKIPP (Extraordinary Kids in Paris and Parents Too) which is a parent support and information network for parents of kids with various types of difficulties, including ADHD.

In Part 2 of this article, I will go through the proper procedures for a good ADHD assessment. Stay tuned!
-Mia Vieyra

About Mia Vieyra

Mia Vieyra is an American clinical psychologist, who has a large private practice in Paris, where she has practiced since 1992. She sees children, adolescents and adults. One of her areas of expertise is the assessment and treatment of ADHD. She is a longstanding AAWE member.

Dearest Reader

Most of us are very good at seeing what we don’t like about a system that is not our own. Those of us who attended high school in an Anglophone country will find major differences between our experience and that of our teens today in France. And if our teens attended an Anglophone school before entering the French school system, we (and they) may find the differences to be even shocking.
I would like to ask you to look at these differences from the perspective of a coach. And that would mean looking without any preconceived notions; leaving judgment and assumption aside.

Consider the following…

A 17-year-old American boy visited his 17-year-old Franco-American cousin in France this summer. He told him that his school day in the United States lasts less than seven hours, that he practices sport, piano, and guitar ten hours a week, and that he holds a 3.4 average (85 percent), which puts him in the second quarter of his class. His cousin told him that he tries to practice five hours of sport a week, but often can’t because the length of his school day in France (up to ten hours) and homework don’t leave him enough time. He has a moyenne of 14 out of 20 (70 percent) and is in the top quarter of his class. His grade of 10 (50 percent) in math is above the class average.

Some teachers in France read each student’s grade aloud to the class, beginning with the lowest. The assumption many of us make is that encouragement and good grades build self-esteem. The judgment many of us make is that the French system is unnecessarily tough.

Yet assumptions and judgments are limiting; both close the door to more profound reflection.

Resilience

A word mentioned more and more among Anglophone educators is resilience: “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” If anything, the student in France is given the space to fail. It is what it is. For better or worse, it is not something that is hidden. The benefit in this is the student in France must grapple with failure and figure out how to succeed; and how to toughen up. With practice, many of them do. The cost is that some just can’t, some give up, and some never get over it.
Perhaps the assumption that the French school system makes is that a teen is not too fragile for honest grading; that a teen has the intellect to understand that top grades are not a right, and the logic to accept that academic ability is not distributed evenly.
With proper support from parents, our teens educated in the French system can benefit from it. Parents who focus on the learning process rather than grades will empower their teen to keep trying.

Next time you find yourself wanting to bash the French school system, and especially if you are within earshot of your teen: tourner sept fois votre langue dans votre bouche avant de parler! (Translation: Turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before speaking!) Consider this: unlike you, your teen has no other school system. The French school system is a key part of his or her identity, and if we bash the system, we are bashing our teens. We are confusing them too, because after all, we are the ones who chose to raise our teens in France.
Bash the French system for students that do get their backs broken by it, but remember to praise the system for believing that teens are strong enough to handle rigor, detached honesty, and failure. After all, this is the real world they will encounter as adults.

Sincerely,
Jane Mobille, PCC, CPCC

This article was originally published in INSPIRELLE (September 24, 2015) and has been republished here with permission of the author.

Jane Mobille

Jane Mobille is a Professional Certified Coach who counts young people and families among her clientele. She and her husband have raised three bicultural children in France. Their children attended semi-private bilingual school, public nursery school, Catholic primary school, and public secondary school with international sections. Two of them struggled for many years before encountering success.