A day in life at school

One thing that has been on my mind a bit is a task that we Canadians are working on for the school here.  Apparently at Julian’s and Micah’s school each year the directrice chooses a country and plans out a week’s worth of activities that give a small sense of  what life might be like in that country.  And this year, as one might guess, she has chosen Canada.  There are three Canadian families within the school itself, and we are friends with another Canadian family from the next school over. 

One of the sessions that the directrice has asked us to make sure to include is a portrait of a day at school for a child in that country.  A bit tricky for Canada, as I think it probably makes a big difference whether you are schooled in Toronto or Calgary, in Montreal, or in Nunavut.  But it got me to thinking that there really are a number of differences that now seem almost normal, but were definitely an adjustment in the beginning. 

School here starts at 8:20 and lets out at 4:30.  There is a two hour break in the middle of the day for lunch and most children stay at school for the mid-day cantine.  This is a multi-course meal, with an entrée, plat principal, and a fruit or dessert offered afterwards, along with a produit laitier and of course, bread.  The children are served at their tables.  There are two sittings as only 3 of the 5 classes can fit at one time.  I find it interesting that along with the posted menus are the nutritional contents of each meal, as well as recommendations for what should be served at dinner to complement the already-consumed items.  Let’s just say that, if my children are any example, their nutritional numbers probably differ significantly from the listed values.  Skipping the anchovies, seconds on rice pudding, these all make a difference in nutritional values!

The classrooms function more or less autonomously.  Whereas at our school in Toronto the national anthem is played every morning along with the morning announcements, there are no announcements, no anthem, no public form of address within the school.  Only face-to-face interactions.  As well, there are almost no notes that come home from the school, either from the teacher or the directrice.  Trips are announced, head lice was announced as a side bar to a note on student teachers.  There are definitely no publicity items, sports programs, theatre, etc.  Not even school events to be organized!

The work that the students do is all presented in a different manner as well.  It is a very traditional style with the teacher in the front, the students at desks in rows, and each copying the work down from the board and working individually.  When I asked the boys if they had done ANY work in groups, they each recounted one time when the teacher had asked the students to work together. As well, the classroom teacher is responsible for all of the classroom instruction, including physical education, music, art history, library, etc.  The teachers have set up an exchange so that one teaches all the music another all the art.  But it is still the same five classroom teachers doing the rotations. 

When the children are finished eating their lunches they then have recess.  As at our school in Toronto, there are three recesses.  But few children have a snack.  And there is definitely no playground equipment.  There is a large blacktop and the students are permitted to bring in their own balls.  Marbles are also super popular this year. 

The doors to the school are always locked.  There are 10 minutes to enter before school, and 10 minutes upon the return from lunch for those who eat at home.  Although the French seem to be late for many a rendez-vous, school does not really seem to be one of them.  Along this same theme, there is just about no such thing as a parent volunteer.  So far I have been in the school for the beginning-of-the-year parents meeting and a one-on-one meeting I requested with each boys teacher just to check and see how they were doing.  I have gone on field trips with each boy, but we need to wait outside of the school until the class emerges and then we just sort of fall into line, no assigned groups, etc. 

Walking through the city on a trip is also an experience.  It brings to mind the story of Madeline with “twelve little girls in two straight lines…”  The students are all paired up and even at the grade 5 level many were holding hands with their partner.  They were side by side and about two steps behind the person in front of them.  And if not, there were lots of admonitions to “allon-y” or “avance, avance!”

Talking with a friend the other day she pointed out another major difference.  I haven’t seen the washrooms in the older boys school, and Julian says that they are different.  But in the ecole maternelle there is one large washroom for all of the children.  There are no stalls, just four rows of kid-sized toilets.  Two for sitting, two for standing.  The sitting toilets have no seat, just a rim.  And so, for example, when all the kids used the washroom before the field trip this week, all 50 kids were peeing and whatever together. 

And so it has been a really nice, nostalgic thing for me to receive photos from a few of our favorite teachers in Toronto to help us put together a photo montage of “a day in the life of a student in Toronto, Ontario.”  And it makes me just that wee bit more excited to think that we will be back there in just a few more short months!