But to back up a bit, yesterday, which seems like an eternity ago already, Silke and Jerome had French (spoken and written) exams and Math exams at the rectorate starting at 8am, specifically at the department which handles non-francophone students (specifically "centre académique pour la scholarisation des élèves allphones nouvellement arrivés et des enfants issus de familles itinérants et de voyageurs", which is quite a department name - it is shortened to CASNAV) . Meanwhile, I was interviewed, and I provided quite a pile of requested papers. This was a most interesting experience, for Silke and Jerome, who observed a lot, as well as for me. We were together going through the same process with people from every part of the globe, and at every level of French and education. Some people I guess must have been refugees. Although it feels terribly bureaucratic, this department has the noble goal of classifying every foreign student, identifying their particular needs, and placing them in a school with the required resources. Some arrivals will have a strong educational background, but weak or no French, and be placed in a appropriate class ("classe d'acceuil"). Others, for example many from North Africa, will be fluent French speakers, but may lack a formal education. The math exam, which is given in one's native tongue, is a general proxy for assesses the level of formal education. In other cases, arrivals may lack both French and formal education, and may come from a society in some distress, for example a country in a state of civil war. In those cases, they ensure that there is a school with an entire dedicated team, including teachers, a psychologist, translators, and assistants in place.
Of the group going through the process that morning, Jerome finished the exams first, and appeared in the waiting room with his certificate in hand. Result: "francophone" with highest possible score in every category. In other words, the department was deciding against any special classes or aid for Jerome, and in fact sending him back to the regular registration department for French students. Surprisingly, Silke did not also come out soon. In fact, it was another hour and a half before Silke appeared, and I was really beginning to wonder what could have possibly happened. I could only surmise that when asked to write a paragraph in French, she had embarked on writing a dissertation. It turned out that she scored so high on the evaluation, that they decided to start her over on the tests for the next grade level. Her final result was not only "francophone", but advanced a year. Of course this does match her schooling in Canada, but we had neither mentioned nor requested this, figuring that a French school at her age level would be challenge enough. It would seem that their evaluation is quite acute. With these important certificates in hand, we were sent back to the registration department. There, after a 3 hour wait in yet another waiting room, and the production and examination of more quantities of paperwork, they regretfully informed us that the two schools in our neighborhood were completely full. They would contact us within a week to let us know which school they would be attending. I was not entirely happy with this, as we chose the apartment specifically to be near those two schools, which besides having a very high academic standard, seemed particularly welcoming of foreign students. (Also both offered German as an LV2 language, which Silke particularly wanted. More on that later.) But then, what can you do? We had to surrender the CASNAV certificates to complete the dossiers in the registration department, but before doing so, I photographed them with my iphone. This bemused Silke and Jerome, who couldn't guess why I would do such a thing. I could only tell them I didn't know yet why. But in fact, it did turn out to be a bit of fortuitous foresight.
We didn't have to wait a week. This very morning I received a phone call that they had been assigned to Collège Montaigne. This college is only slightly further away than the two actually in our arrondissement. 4 metro stops, as we measure it. This is an elite college, which hadn't been high on my list, because in my research, it was frankly rather intimating. They have no class d'accueil, and gave the impression of simply expecting everyone to be up to speed immediately, rather than providing any additional help. Well, this is where they would be going. So we reported there is morning, and were shown to the office of the councillor for 3ème (Silke's grade) and 6ème (Jerome's). When we arrived, sometime before noon, the letters from the rectorate to the collège regarding Silke and Jerome were already on her desk. Although things sometimes seem to move slowly in France, at other times the speed is quite astonishing. She was quite friendly, although giving the impression of being overworked. She talked to us awhile, and then she picked up the phone and called the director of the college. After explaining the situation, and the origin and level of French of Silke and Jerome (which despite the evaluation of CASNAV is not yet truly francophone), the conversation went something like this (my approximate translation),
"They were sent here by the rectorate."
(Something indistinct but clearly at elevated voice on the other end of the telephone.)
"It is the decision of the rectorate. What can you do?"
She then told us that the director would like to see the evaluation done by CASNAV, as well as any documentation from the schools in Canada, and that we should return at 14:30 with the requested documents. Good thing I had thought to photograph those certificates!
Here we are, waiting for the director:
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| In the garden of college Montaigne |
Doesn't look much like a Canadian school, does it? Besides the garden, there are courtyards, columns, incredibly high ceilings, statues and, in many places, lions carved into the walls. I told Jerome the lions would eat him if he didn't do his homework. What you don't see in the photograph are other students, because one of the many rules we learned is, no students permitted in the garden, unless specially requested to be there (we were).
There was some difficulty in resolving the issue of languages. At Montaigne, the following modern languages are taught: English, German, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Spanish and Polish. For an LV1 language (LV being langue vivante), which is a foreign language learned from an early age, Silke and Jerome were put down for English. Not too exciting perhaps, but it satisfies requirements. Silke also requires an LV2 language, which would be another foreign language started in 4ème, in other words in the grade preceding the one she in entering. She would have loved to do German, but it is offered only as LV1 here. Instead, she chose Spanish. Actually, it went something like this, "As you are in this college, you will write the Lycée entrance exam at the end of the year. An LV2 language is required for this exam. Therefore, you will be placed in a second year Spanish course, and you will catch up quickly with the others, who have already had a year of Spanish." Latin is also normally required of all students at Montaigne, but in this case they decided that she would be simply too far behind, and, it not being a requirement of the Lycée entrance exams, they struck it from her schedule. As for Jerome, they had some difficulty in finding any class in 6ème with space, and finally decided on an English-Portugese bilingual class. A bilingual class in France doesn't mean the same thing as it does in Canada. Here it means two LV1 languages, in addition to French. But they then struck the Portuguese classes from his standard schedule. They told him that he will get to know well the children in the school of Portuguese and Brazilian families.
They start school tomorrow. Some days start as early as 8:30, and may end as late as 18:00. But as they both have a class struck from their standard schedules, it should be manageable. In fact, they are quite excited about it.
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