School News

Benjamin is in 10th grade this year, called seconde in French because starting in 6th grade, they count down to the end (terminale) instead of counting up like we do in the US. 

With the recent educational reforms, students can choose to continue general high school, or to pursue more specific disciplines, which most often would lead to a trade or an associates' degree after high school.

At this point, they also have to choose three "specialties" for next year (première), and one extra in case one of the first three doesn't work out. They continue with two of those into senior year (terminale), with a test before the end of junior year on the one they'll be dropping. 

There are thirteen options for these specialty classes, but not all of them are offered in all high schools:

• Arts (visual arts, circus arts, art history, music, dance, audiovisual cinema or theater)
• Physical education, sports practices and culture
• Literature, languages and culture of antiquity (Latin or Greek)
• Foreign or regional languages, literature and culture
• Humanities, literature and philosophy
• History-geography, geopolitics and political science
• Economic and social sciences
• Math
• Physics and chemistry
• Digital and computer sciences
• Engineering sciences
• Life and earth science
• Biology-ecology (in agricultural high schools)
  

Benjamin plans to continue with general high school, and chose math, physics and chemistry, and English as his three specialties, with life and earth science as an alternate choice. Each of these three classes will take up four hours a week in his schedule, and senior year, the two that remain will be six hours a week. 

If the school doesn't think a student is likely to succeed with the classes he's chosen or they have concerns, they may suggest other alternatives. Some students change high schools at the end of sophomore year to pursue a specific program.

The school has informed us they are "favorable" to his continuing general education and "very favorable" for all of his choices.  The school and we will sign off definitively on his choices at the end of the school year.