Something interesting that I have noticed about the French culture is actually how the public school system is set up, particularly when it comes to their breaks. In France, students in primary and maternity school have classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Interestingly, on Wednesdays they have a half day, or, depending on the school, no classes at all. After doing some research I learned that this “holiday” became a thing when France created their public education system in the 19th century and since France is a predominately catholic country, Wednesdays were granted off to attend catechism at the Roman Catholic Church, and the weekly structure stuck up until modern date, even if not all students go to church on Wednesdays or if they aren’t catholic. This seems like a great thing for students in current times, and it is as the break in the middle of the week has apparently shown that kids come back to school more motivated to learn on Thursday and Friday than if they had school still on Wednesday and mentally checked out from learning for the rest of the week. On the other hand, this break in the middle of the week has proven it somewhat difficult for families who need to maintain a steady income and living wage by having both parents in work as families with younger kids who cannot be left unsupervised cannot always afford to hire a baby sitter every Wednesday, meaning that often times mothers can only work part-time jobs rather than full-time jobs. So I personally do see both the pros and the cons of this system.
Another interesting aspect of the school’s break structure is that all French schools have six weeks of school and then two weeks off for a holiday. However, the French were smart about this and in order to not completely overwhelm the beaches and ski resorts for one single two week period, they divided up the breaks by region. For example, in Aix, the start of the students two week break is October 30th, and once their two weeks are up and they’re back in school for six weeks, another region, such as Paris, would get their two weeks off. This way the ski resorts and beaches aren’t completely overwhelmed with families vacationing and resources don’t run out.
I find France’s public school break system to be beneficial for students and their learning as it provides plenty of opportunity to have a reset and come back to school refreshed, however I can also see the impacts that it leaves on lower income families and holiday businesses.
