Four years after the murder of Professor Samuel Paty, the trial of the terrorist's alleged accomplices opens this November 4 at the Paris Special Assize Court. How to continue teaching after the trauma? How to teach secularism at school in France?
For security reasons, the name of the college and the history professor interviewed in this report are not given. The first names of the students have been changed.
A few weeks ago, a debate on secularism was organized between 3rd grade students and their teacher in a Parisian college as part of a civic education course. Civic education is the subject taught Samuel Patyhistory teacher murdered Friday October 16, 2020 for showing caricatures to his students.
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This debate on secularism is lively. One buttock resting on the corner of a table, the teacher listens attentively to his students. Émilie doesn't understand why we can't wear religious symbols in class. “ I think we should limit words and not clothes, because clothes, in themselves, have no influence and it's just to practice your religion “, opine l'adolescente.
The teacher returns to the question of proselytism: “ If there is no intentionality, perhaps, marked to influence, the influence will be by destination, perhaps, and in which case, we would break the neutral side of the school, thanks to which you can exercise your free will and be free from any influence whatsoever. This is the spirit of the law », Analyzes the professor.
Aminata removes her hand from her mouth and intervenes: “ Secularism claims to protect us, but does it protect young French veiled women? Because when they enter college, they are forced to remove their second piece of skin, their veil. Their veil is identity, it hurts no one. »
Also readFrance: 20 years after the 2004 law, religious symbols in public schools still in the news
« We should be able to express our difference in class so that there is less discrimination”
For Mélanie, secularism implies neutrality, or almost. “ For me, neutrality should only apply to learning, so that we all have neutral bases for learning.she argues. But I don't think that students should be neutral, because we are all different and we should all be able to express our difference in class so that there is less discrimination. »
The teacher responds to the teenager’s intervention: “ Well done, because that’s a question we haven’t yet discussed. Obviously, we did this in class on the neutrality of teachings. Remember what I told you. For example, in sixth grade, we study the evolution of humanity. This or that is starting to say that this is not respect for their beliefs and is going to leave the class…”
This remark restarts the debate, a student responds to the teacher: “ We have to listen to what you tell us, but we don't have to believe it. For example, that we are descended from apes, I don't believe it. »
The professor concludes on this subject: “ You are trying to demonstrate the difference between belief and knowledge. Yes, you can know without it affecting your beliefs. But for scientific knowledgeyou have the means to check. »
These third grade students were nine or ten years old when Samuel Paty was murdered. This schoolgirl returns to the caricatures of Mohammed that Samuel Paty had shown during a course on freedom of expression. “ The teacher tried to explain that if you don't want to watch, that's your choice. He respects everyone's beliefs. Except here, he was killed for something he didn't do. »
It's the end of class, the students are jumping out of their chairs. As she leaves, Aminata covers her hair with her hood. The teacher, standing with his arms crossed, asks him to take it off.
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