A Normal Day Of School in France!

Today was a fairly normal day. I got up early to go to a make-up class at 8:30. Why were we making up class, because there was a holiday. Yes this is odd, but it seems to be the way things work, so we go with it and make up the classes we miss on holidays (not sure they understand the word holiday which is amazing since holidays which give days off are not to be messed with in France). I arrive for my two hour class and only the last 1/2 hour is actually new stuff. Think positive: it was helping me review for exams next week.

Then after lunch I got my history paper back, which I spent quite a bit of time on and was fairly sure that we did well on it. We did great by French standards 15 out of 20. You may ask how is 75% great, but the answer is also 'this is just the way it works here'. It is hard to get anything above a 15 in the French system. You would think she would at least tell you that you did something wrong, but all that was written on our paper was that we followed all the rules well that she gave us. I wonder where my 5 points went then?

Then I had methodology. My teacher arrives late (probably smoking). She gives back our homework and as she hands me mine says it needs more work, code for it is no good. This is all she says of course. No counsel on how to improve or what to do next time to make it not "need more work". She then proceeds to give us work to do and leaves (again probably smoking), is gone too long but does eventually come back. She is always shocked when she comes back and no one has actually done the work she gave us but has spent the time chatting with the other in class. She gives us more work and leaves again (for sure smoking this time). Someone may need to let some of teachers know about lung cancer. My guess is that we spend at least half the class time with the professor actually in the classroom. Not bad.

So for all who are interested in a normal day in the life of Sharla at the fabulous university of Mirail, there you go and enjoy!