The March vacation was wonderful for the LeBihan family, we took a road trip to Florida where we had a marvelous time playing in the sun and recharging our batteries for the rest of the school year. On our way home, we took a planned detour to Greenville, South Carolina to visit a French school there, Ecole Française Bilingue. http://www.efbgreenville.org/
Visiting other establishments is always interesting because we can always learn from other schools. We were particularly interested in this school as we have a lot in common. While most French schools are located in urban areas (Dallas, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Boston….), our schools are both located in more rural environments. Furthermore, our schools both have similar student enrollments, with small numbers of students in each grade. The school in South Carolina welcomes 77 students daily, from Kindergarten through high school, while we have comparable numbers, with students from preschool through middle school.
The Director, Nicholas Brindel, is an acquaintance of ours. He formerly was the middle school director at the International School of Boston. In the past, we have had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions- at receptions or meetings with the Mission Laique Française. Mr. Brindel was very gracious, giving up his entire morning to discuss the school with us. He gave us a tour of the school, a beautiful facility situated in a setting much like our own school and surrounded by residential properties and woods. Nicholas arranged for us to meet with a middle school teacher to help us in the planning of our 5ème in the fall (7th grade). We were fortunate to make personal contact and to discuss curriculum materials with her. Friederike now has a list of recommended materials and a person she can contact personally for ideas!
Our schools are different in that the school in South Carolina is run by the French company, Michelin Tires, which employs 20,000 people in Greenville, South Carolina. Michelin built the school and pays the entire operating budget, to provide a French education to the children of French employees brought to the states for a few years, as a benefit. This ensures the children can reintegrate into the French system upon their return to France. American children also attend the school, but in smaller numbers. Ultimately, each of the 40 French schools in America is unique. We all follow the same curriculum, but our populations are very different and therefore each school needs to address the individual needs of their school’s population. It was a very informative visit, well-worth the detour, and we are grateful to Mr. Brindel and his faculty for their hospitality.
Visiting other establishments is always interesting because we can always learn from other schools. We were particularly interested in this school as we have a lot in common. While most French schools are located in urban areas (Dallas, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Boston….), our schools are both located in more rural environments. Furthermore, our schools both have similar student enrollments, with small numbers of students in each grade. The school in South Carolina welcomes 77 students daily, from Kindergarten through high school, while we have comparable numbers, with students from preschool through middle school.
The Director, Nicholas Brindel, is an acquaintance of ours. He formerly was the middle school director at the International School of Boston. In the past, we have had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions- at receptions or meetings with the Mission Laique Française. Mr. Brindel was very gracious, giving up his entire morning to discuss the school with us. He gave us a tour of the school, a beautiful facility situated in a setting much like our own school and surrounded by residential properties and woods. Nicholas arranged for us to meet with a middle school teacher to help us in the planning of our 5ème in the fall (7th grade). We were fortunate to make personal contact and to discuss curriculum materials with her. Friederike now has a list of recommended materials and a person she can contact personally for ideas!
Our schools are different in that the school in South Carolina is run by the French company, Michelin Tires, which employs 20,000 people in Greenville, South Carolina. Michelin built the school and pays the entire operating budget, to provide a French education to the children of French employees brought to the states for a few years, as a benefit. This ensures the children can reintegrate into the French system upon their return to France. American children also attend the school, but in smaller numbers. Ultimately, each of the 40 French schools in America is unique. We all follow the same curriculum, but our populations are very different and therefore each school needs to address the individual needs of their school’s population. It was a very informative visit, well-worth the detour, and we are grateful to Mr. Brindel and his faculty for their hospitality.
