Anomalies of French life: Redoublement (repeating a school year)

"François is not in my class this year. He had to redoubler."  The first time I heard that one of N's friends had to repeat a school year, I was shocked. I would never have thought François was such a bad student.

Then Paul had to redoubler, the year his parents were divorced. Then Jules, who was turbulent. Then Philippe. Then Augustin. Then little Maxime, who "wants to be a cook. Quelle horreur!" said his mother. Then Laure.

I started to think something was wrong, and not with the kids. Sure enough, when I looked up the statistics just now, it says that 38 % of French students have to repeat a year at some time.

This creates a culture in which a large number of perfectly normal people feel stupid, and a few others become swaggeringly arrogant because of their brilliance at math and French (extracurricular brilliance is rarely acknowledged in France).

In the U.S., we have the opposite problem. All the children are above average. Kids who can't find France (or Iraq) on the map get straight A's, the honor roll means you did your homework (except in a few elite high schools), and students sue to be sole valedictorians, not just if they are flunking.

Not sure which is worse.

Comments

[LA Frog]

A [French] friend of mine is a language teacher on a prestigious college campus in L.A. She always complains about the pressure from students to get good grades, no matter how slackers or dilettantes they can be. Is that better? The French system is severe, but the "nivellement par le bas" you see in the States, where students pass no matter how hard they worked [or didn't] doesn't sound quite right to me either.

[laurie]

The French system is better. I don't think they make kids redoubler to make them feel bad. They make the kids learn stuff before letting them go on to the next grade. This is much better than in the States, where kids are allowed to graduate high school without knowing how to read (I have personally encountered such "graduates"). In France, I am often amazed at how well educated people are who have never gone to college.

[amy]

I don't know... The French system may seem harsh, but when I was a kid in French school, it seemed perfectly natural. Since hardly anyone is ever held back in America, it's viewed as a terrible stigma. But since it happens frequently in France, it's not considered a horrible, life-damaging event.

And does being held back hurt one's chances later in life? Someone I know (an American, as it happens), was made to repeat sixth grade. He was horribly humiliated at the time, but he wound up getting a PhD from an Ivy League school.

It doesn't have to be a curse for life.

[nardac]

You know, I never knew that. I just asked my husband about it and he concurs. He did say, though, that these days, redoublement can only happen with the consent of the parent(s). So parents who choose to send their child ahead can do so. But, it's still viewed as an "echec," even in France.

[Peggy]

It does seem harsh - The flip side to this over here in the UK is that children get teased and called "Swot" for excelling in the classroom. Being good and clever aren't seen as positive things in some areas. I think that is worse than redoublement!

[Ms. Glaze]

It is VERY difficult to retain a child in the States and often kids get swept through the system without learning what they need to due to enormous class sizes and underfunded teachers and programs. Holding back children does affect their psyche for years and teachers do their best to NOT hold back students for this reason. In many cases, the next teacher is usually briefed on the student case so special attention can be given and issues worked on.

However, as a longtime credentialed high school teacher in California, we also have a lot of English Language Learners and it is sometimes very difficult to decide how to handle the situation. You can't hold a student back simply because they don't speak English.

Holding back a student doesn't necessarily mean he/she will improve. I think in most cases they do worse because they feel stupid and all their friends think they're stupid too. Not good.

[nardac]

Hmmm, actually if the debate is really around whether it's good or not, maybe it would be good to consider what education is really for: to make sure children make it into adulthood with more than basic skills and a sense of the world around them; or passing a child on to avoid social stigma to the detriment of their own mental progress. Worse, it makes people think it's ok to gloss over the details for the sake of a little general well-being.

I think redoublement is a fairly good thing if it helps a child create a solid foundation before getting even further lost on the next step. If a child is bottom of the pack, they'll still be bottom of the pack in the next year. Self-esteem is created by realising they can actually surmount a challenge with a little patience and inner strength.

My nephew-in-law recently redoubled, thanks to the decision of his parents. He's a pretty awesome kid, and he actually enjoys school more now.