Starter: Lentil salad
Main course: Roasted lamb au jus
Vegetable: Zucchini with becehmel sauce
Cheese course: Camembert
Dessert: Fresh melon slices
Always a baguette, and only water to drink.
Marie's lunch is served on real plates with real silverware, and she is encouraged to eat slowly and enjoy her meal. When she is finished with her lunch, she can choose to play in the courtyard with friends, or attend a craft workshop in the recreation room, that is offered once per week. The cost for her lunch and 2 hours of childcare is 3 Euros.
Marie's school subjects are dictated by the government, and by law the teacher must spend a set number of hours per week on each subject with an emphasis at this age on French and Math. According to Marie's teacher, the French Ministry of Education wants every 1st grader learning the exact same thing week to week. There is very little time for art or music, and physical education is taught by the classroom teacher, not by a specific PE teacher. In the spring Marie will have a once-per-week art class, but there is no drawing or coloring in the main classroom. Learning how to read and write are the two main goals of CP. While the kids learned their letters and sounds in Ecole Maternelle, CP is when formal instruction of reading begins. Marie learns how to write using graph paper, and each letter must fit perfectly inside each square. Any part of a letter that is outside the square, is crossed out in red ink.
Color-coding is important in a French classroom. The teacher must use certain colors of chalk for certain subjects, as dictated by the local Academie (head of schools). Each subject has it's own color notebook.
Parents are not allowed in the classroom, and must drop off their children at the school entrance. French parents have no problem with this, they completely trust the school system and the teacher. There is another notebook, the Cahier de liaison, that is used for corresponding between parent and teacher. Marie's parents know that if there is a problem, her teacher will write a note in this notebook to request a meeting.
Marie has recess twice per day. There are no playgrounds at French elementary schools, so the kids play in the courtyard, making up games, some of them bring cards to play.
At the end of the school day, Marie's parent are still working, so she stays for one extra hour of after-school care. The cost? Nothing. Her parents pick her up at 5:30.
Zoe attends school Monday-Friday, from 8:00-2:00. Out of those 6 hours, 20 minutes are lunchtime. Zoe can bring in a lunch from home, or buy lunch at school. Either way, she has to eat quickly. A typical lunch menu for Zoe looks like this:
Main course: Pizza
Vegetable: Broccoli and corn
Fruit: half a peach
Dessert: Cookie
Drink: white or chocolate milk
Zoe eats with her class in the classroom. They are eating on composted trays and using silverware made from composted materials. Cost for lunch is $1.75.
Zoe's subjects are dictated by both the state and local school district. Since primary school started the year before with Kindergarten, learning how to read has already been introduced. Zoe and her classmates continue to practice their reading skills, and are also practicing their writing skills. Unlike Marie who learns cursive first, Zoe is learning to write in print. Her teacher is not quite so strict on how the letters are written, as long as they are legible. Zoe's morning begins with circle time, where the teacher leads them in a song and reads them a story. Later in the day, they have time for free play and art. Zoe chooses to make a drawing, while some of her friends play with blocks, play checkers, or read books. Although Zoe is getting art and music everyday in class, she also has a separate art and music class once per week. She has PE three times per week with a PE teacher.
Zoe's dad volunteers once per month in the classroom. He comes in to help read books or lead an activity. Other parents do the same thing, and the teacher enjoys the parental participation. Zoe's mom walks her into class each morning, and is always able to chat with the teacher.
Zoe also has recess twice per day, but she has a big playground to play on. 
When school is over at 2:00, Zoe's parents are still at work. She stays at school until 5:00 in the after-school program, playing with friends and working on her homework. The cost? $250 per month.
Thoughts:
The French education system places a priority on school lunch and its role in the school day. I love how this reflects the French attitude towards food. They really appreciate well prepared, fresh meals. Parents tell me how important it is that their kids develop good eating habits, and perhaps more importantly, a taste for good food! While schools in the US are starting to do a better job providing healthier lunches, they just do not compare to the eating habits being established in France.
The French school day is also set up with working parents in mind. The shorter school day in the US means working parents have to pay significantly more per month to cover the hours their child needs supervision.
The French approach to teaching and learning seems much more rigid than the US. I can only compare Marseille and Ithaca, but I prefer the creative environment of the Ithaca classroom to the strict environment of the Marseille classroom. In my experience, the teachers in Ithaca engage the children in more dialogue, and find subjects that are of interest to the students. In Freirian terms, the teachers in Ithaca tend to approach students as subjects, not objects (Peterson 310). French school teachers are called "maître" and "maîtresse," which also mean master and mistress, from the verb "maîtriser," to control.
In the book "French Toast" by Harriet Rochefort, she sums up the differences best by stating that "When an American kid leaves home for school, his mother says 'Have fun' : in France, she says 'Be good and work hard' " (Rochefort 88).
