French Education, or
Going to School the French Way
11:00 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006
Webster Hall Auditorium
Admission: free

If the purpose of the American educational system is to turn out well-rounded, positive-looking students who’ve excelled both in the classroom and extra-curricular activities, the purpose of the French educational system is to inculcate knowledge — period! The French educational system is indeed very different — not better or worse — than our American one. Harriet Welty Rochefort, whose two Franco-American sons were educated in French public schools, gave an overview of the way the French school system is organized, from the maternelle to terminale to the grandes écoles. She discussed how much a college education costs (which may make you or your parents want to take the next flight to France), why French high school students are among the only ones in Europe to study philosophy, and why some — not all — students flocked to the streets to protest a jobs law last spring. She concluded with a discussion of some of the advantages and disadvantages of a French education as compared to an American one and touch on some of the challenges French educators face today.

Iowa native Harriet Welty Rochefort has lived in France since 1971. A freelance journalist and speaker, Ms. Rochefort is the author of two books about the French, French Toast, a humorous tale of Franco-American cultural differences based on her life in France, and French Fried, a memoir of French cuisine in which she divulges some of her French family’s favorite recipes. Both books were published by St. Martin’s Press. She is currently working on a third book about the French. Rochefort’s hobbies include reading, gardening, wine tasting, cooking, and yoga. Her favorite places are her own little garden in Paris and the terrace of any Paris café where she can watch the world go by.