Why is the level of the students so low?Why is the level of the pupils so low? At the Candide school group in Vaucluse, every day, we received pupils, especially in primary school, whose parents told us: "it is for a CE2 or CM1 or a CM2 the next year ".

However, when we made the pupil in question read, we noticed that he could not read and even less write. We examined his notebooks filled only with handouts in which the child had "tried" to fill in the gaps. The students had written very little. Our dyslexic students read better than the non-dyslexics that we were offered to integrate into Candide!

And when we asked the parents about what the teacher thought of the child, the parents replied: "Ah, but he is going to the upper class!". We even received a few pupils that National Education made pass in 6th without knowing nor reading and writing correctly!

When we showed the level of our candidates in CE1 simply, the parents told us that their child had "done none of this", but they still thought that their child, the flesh of their flesh, would be able to catch up. We knew no! The next year the little one should learn to read and write to start. Parents also retorted that at home, we were ahead of the programs. Not at all, we followed them and respected them scrupulously and did not make the work of CM2 to a child of seven years for example. We simply followed the programs rigorously. Candidates in CE1 could read fluently, had clean notebooks that were not tea towels with drawings everywhere. They were really able to move up to the next level in the classroom. They did all their exercises by hand, writing, and not on handouts with holes.

Of course, in the National Education, I understand perfectly that the teachers cannot take care of 26, even thirty students and I do not blame them because I, too, could not hoist these children. to the top.

Some parents, startled and aware of their child's low level, worried about the way in which we managed to make our students in CE1 read fluently or to make them write as well as they did when we showed them their notebooks. Suddenly they got scared. How did we do it? No, we weren't brutalizing them!

Our students learned every day with immense happiness. We showcased their work.

They were evolving daily and yet each day they laughed a lot. We were happy to learn the compulsory programs. The antics of our cats also elicited great laughter. The purring calmed us. We listened to each child so that they could progress with a smile from ear to ear.

On the other hand, the children "hyper protected" in their stupidities by their parents were rather quickly excluded from our establishment and we had the right to do so since we were "deprived without contract". We came to this when the mum or dad did not help us in the education of their son or daughter and kept excusing his offspring for his multiple disrespect, his lies and his unfulfilled duties ... knowing that they were done in class except for learning irregular verbs in English and grammar in Spanish!

The children enrolled as early as possible at Candide were future students who succeeded in their studies and the results obtained in 2020 still prove it to us. Bac in hand, they are realized in the higher studies that they have chosen and that we have not imposed on them.

So why did the students have such a low level when they were introduced to us to enter Candide?

Because it was barely if their master or mistress knew that they existed because of the overcrowded classes. Parents no longer remembered that when they were children themselves, they worked when their own parents did not protect them all the time. The programs proposed by the various ministers did not dance without stopping and we thought less about the child's fatigue than about its real causes: the futility of his efforts! In Candide pedagogy, children really work and are happier than those who are bored at the back of a class. The child is recognized, helped, encouraged and followed. And so that each little human being can progress in this way, the number of students per class is limited to only 15.

At Candide, we no longer accept children who are overly protected in their stupidities by their parents, we no longer accept "phobic" children because they are all too often whimsical vis-à-vis overly lax parents. very rare exceptions, and these are welcome.

In summary, in the "Independent School Group Candide" network, we accept children whose parents are WITH US and not AGAINST US when it comes to their child's work. We are not daycare centers but schools in which we work seriously. However, in Candide, we also have "dys" children whose parents are behind us. These students, no less intelligent than the others, are making rapid progress. Sure, they work all day and in the evening they are normally tired. But they have no homework (except in 3rd for the patent) and can relax with their family. After school or college, they are happy both with their day and to stop working to fully enjoy their activities, sports or artistic activities ... those they have chosen there too!

Michèle BOURTON, Founder of the Candide pedagogy, creator and Director of the independent school group Candide from 2013 to 2018.