The sanction for chewing gum in class

In addition to the school rules, which are lengthy, teachers have their own class rules.  Rules are invariably listed with specific consequences and procedures in case of non-adherence.  Here for example is the rule in Silke's French class regarding chewing gum,

Chewing gum is not permitted in class.  Verbs to be conjugated will be given to all those violating this rule.  If the punishment is not completed in time, the verbs will be doubled and completed in detention.

Another interesting rule in French class is that titles of cited works must not be put in quotation marks, but rather must be underlined using a ruler.  Not observing this convention results in an automatic deduction of 2 points on the assignment.  (Everything is out of 20, so that amounts to a not-insignificant 10% deduction.)  Further, borrowing a classmate's ruler also results in an automatic deduction of 2 points.  One really doesn't want to forget one's ruler for French class!

Montaigne is a very large school.  It is a combined lycée and collège with 1900 students, two thirds of whom are in the lycée (which is the approximate equivalent of high school).  On the second day, Silke's class (which is the last year of collège) had a class in the lycée wing.  Despite having a map of the school - everyone is issued with one - she was unable to find the classroom, and so had to ask for some help from a tall but friendly-looking lycéen.  You can't get there from here was the response, other, that is, than by descending to the main hall and taking a different staircase up again.  Once in the right section of the right wing of the school, she ran into two of her classmates, who despite attended the school 3 years already, were also unable to locate this particular classroom.  After further wandering around for some time, they finally looked out a window into a courtyard and saw some other classmates waving at them.  Turns out, they had the wrong floor.

My own theory, admittedly far-fetched, for the confusing and illogical room designation (some rooms have numbers, some letters), is that it is of historical origin.  Namely, that it was a cunning plan by the French resistance to confound the Germans, as the building of Lycée Montaigne was commandeered for the use of the Luftwaffe during the second world war.

Silke of course makes friends quickly, and this makes it easier for her, as there is always someone volunteering to help her find classrooms and generally explain how things work.  Jerome has also made friends faster than we had feared might be the case, and we were pleased to hear from him that yesterday he and a friend went to lunch together.  Silke also had lunch with a new friend, but the details are different.  At the lunch break, which varies depending on the schedule, but is typically one and a half hours long, one of the boys in the class offered to give her a tour of the entire school.  I assume that they stayed out of proscribed areas, such as the gardens, but perhaps that is assuming too much.  Then they went to the school restaurant.   At 15 minutes before the start of class, Silke suggested they perhaps ought to go to class, but he was relaxed about it.  At 10 minutes to, she again mentioned it, but his response, as she told us, was something like, we are enjoying ourselves, why rush?  Finally at 5 minutes they left for class.  As Silke was relating this to us, she couldn't understand why Carolyn and I burst ought laughing simultaneously at certain things she said.  Well, there are French rules, and then there are French men.

It is a good thing they made it on time though.  Being late for class is a serious infraction.  The class doors are locked at the start of class, and if you are locked out, you have to report to the assistant director's office.  If you don't have a very good reason for your tardiness, you get a note entered into your carnet de correspondance, which is a booklet, which they must have at all times, that serves many purposes, including as an on-going record of the academic year.  You then have to serve a detention to make up the material missed due to being locked out.

Considering the number of scenarios for which a detention may be issued, we are proud to report, that in the first three days of school, neither Silke nor Jerome has yet had to serve a detention.

As an aside, the carnet de correspondance is required for entry to the school.  The school doors, which are massive, are only opened at specific times, typically once every hour between 20 minutes after the hour and 25 minutes after the hour.  The door warden checks every student's photo and class schedule, both of which are printed on the back cover of their carnet de correspondance.  Should your first class of the day happen to start on the hour rather than at half past - rare, but Silke has such a class one day - then you have to arrive a half an hour early to gain admittance, as the doors are not opened on the hour.

P.S. If you are very interested in such things, the school rules can be found on-line here: http://www.montaigne-paris.fr/files/607/Reglement_interieur_lycee.pdf .