We had a chance to interview professors Céline Rochon and Sophie Duran-Terzano, while they were visiting our class at Erin District High School.
We were interested to know of the differences between Canada and France, to learn about school on another continent.
We were also interested to see what they thought about Canada and Erin.
Their first impressions of Canada, in comparison to France, were that Canada is very spacious and that there were seemingly endless things to discover.
They felt that Canadians were very hospitable and compassionate – that our school community made them feel welcomed.
The teachers were visiting from the high school Lycëe Banville in the village Moulins.
Rochon teaches history and geography in France. Her English was a little rusty but she inspired us to keep trying to improve our French.
This was her first time visiting Canada, and she was very impressed with our country. She hopes to visit again sometime.
Duran-Terzano has visited Quebec; however this was her first time in Ontario. Both professors expressed how magnificent they thought Canada was.
We were very curious as to what the experience of students in France was and how their school system works.
Their school system is very different compared to ours here in Canada, but it was intriguing.
Their schools are more strict, and have longer school days. Where we have much more choice and freedom in what we learn, they have many more compulsory courses.
Also, they have a higher rate of students dropping out of high school and university, and students going straight into the workforce.
In our high schools, there is more of a relationship between students and the school, and the education is more individualized.
We think that even though our schools and cultures are so different, it would be very interesting to study in France.
Meeting the professors from France was very interesting. It inspired us to continue our French education throughout high school.
We would love to study in another country such as France, to experience such a rich culture and national history.
It was great to hear how visitors perceive Canada and our school as a welcoming place. We want to thank our French teacher, Mme. Schilling, and the French professors for answering our questions and inspiring us to continue our learning of French.
– Brooke Lawrie and Anka Varju are Grade 9 students at Erin District High School.
