23 students along with two teachers from our sister school in France visited Shorewood earlier this week. The students, who were here for over a week, came to observe what school life in the American Educational system is like. The French students divided three days between attending SHS and touring the elementary schools and SIS. During their stay in Wisconsin, they also had the opportunity to visit Chicago, Madison, and downtown Milwaukee.
The Educational Experience in France
Students found school life in America vastly differs from their educational experience in France. For starters, in the French schools, there are no extracurricular activities associated with school. If students want to participate in after school activities, they must use their local community cultural center to engage in sports, arts and music.
With a school day that begins at 8am and goes until nearly 6pm, the students are left with just the weekends and Wednesday afternoons, which they have free during the week, to participate in activities. Art, Music, Theatre and Physical Education provide a general curriculum and are only offered once a week. Lastly, French students are not allowed to eat or move around in the classroom and the option to play Kahoot may or may not be part of the curriculum. French teacher from SHS, Christine Jacquart said, "During our last exchange, Monsieur Sougey (Joel) saw me do this with students and then played Kahoot with his students in France and became the talk of the school as one of the coolest teachers on campus."
What's Next for Shorewood High School French Students?
SHS students will have the chance to observe the French system in the spring when they visit the campus in France. "It's going to be an amazing week of learning and growing on both sides of the Atlantic," says Ms. Jacquart.