seniors and students discuss the school of yesterday and that of today

CM2 students from the Providence school in Poitiers and residents of the Feuillants nursing home came together for a philosophy workshop on the theme of the school of the past and the school of today ‘today. “Always with the idea of ​​reviving the memory of our elders”explains Claire Guilbault, facilitator at the nursing home. For Élodie Rabier and Rachel Chestier, school teachers at Providence, “it’s about setting up a project on diversity by introducing different cultures and different generations”.

The stage is set: Friday January 10, around ten residents were able to interact with the thirty students. “We use tablets to learn”say the young people proudly. “We had slatesrespond the elders. We also had notebooks, we wrote with a quill dipped in an inkwell. In arithmetic, we learned the multiplication tables by humming. We learned a lot by heart, even reading because we didn’t have any books. »

Today, school is compulsory from ages 3 to 16. But before, the period was shorter. “When I was a teacher, one year, I had fifty-two children in my class from 5 to 14 years oldrecalls a resident. I had plenty to keep me busy. »

“Were the exams more difficult? »ask the young people. “In the countryside, we didn’t necessarily know that the baccalaureate existed. When we obtained the primary school certificate, we were happy. I was the only one in the family to have it. »

The girls’ school and the boys’ school were separate. Gowns were obligatory. There was great discipline. “I had hours of glue and our parents always agreed with the teachers. »

There were many humiliating situations, including the dunce cap. “At our age, everything was forbidden. There were preferences in the school. The most talented girls were seen better than the others. As for harassment, it did not exist in the same way. It looked more like what happens in the movie the War of the Buttons. There were no networks. »