French speakers, help needed with DD's report card.

[MmeLindt]

DD's teacher writes:

DD doit encore progresser en français, en s'exprimant davantage oralement égolement. En mathématiques, DD n'est pas toujours très sûre d'elle, surhout dans la suite des nombres et des situations de logique.

According to online translator that means

DD must still progress in French, in s' expressing more orally égolement. In mathematics, DD n' is not always very sure d' it, surhout in the continuation of the numbers and the situations of logic.

Not very encouraging, is it?

bump

I think it basically means:

DD has to keep progressing/improving in French, and express herself orally (talk more)? In maths she is not very sure of herself, especially in number and logic problems.

Thanks, Mananny, that is what I thought. Will make an appointment to speak to the teacher to see how we can help her. I am a bit sad as she has been doing so well so far and that does not sound encouraging.

It's been my experience that French teachers are far too focused on academia and not so much on art/music/social skills/etc. So I wouldn't be too concerned, unless your DD is really unhappy at school. How old is she? If she's only young and at primary school I would ask the school to provide a bit of extra tuition but really I think that French schools are way too book-based-learning and young children unless fluent in French/used to the system just aren't prepared for the sheer amount of academic work they are asked to do. There's a fabulous docu-movie on a small French school, the name escapes me, but the teacher there had 4 year olds writing their alphabets and numbers on a white board. My charges are 3.5 and they draw smiley faces. I think there's something to be said for expecting too much too young!

If you're in Switzerland I suspect the schools are the same way inclined?

French teachers (and I'm assuming that Swiss French ones are similar) often sound pretty negative from a British POV. If everything's fine, they don't bother to tell you, often only telling you what's wrong IYSWIM.
DD always gets the "doit encore progresser en français" and this is a special needs child with a severe language disorder! I tend to take it all with a pinch of salt nowadays as I've lived here for long enough to get used to it!

Is that 'être et avoir'?

DD is 4 and has just been taught to write her first name in joined up writing!

Thanks for your reassuring words. The reports until now have been more positive so maybe that is what threw me.

I have just gone in to check on her and she was talking in her sleep, IN FRENCH

:-)))

That's the one OSOTC! I loved it, it has inspired me in my own career albeit nannying not teaching. I just loved how the teacher encouraged every single child under his care to grow not just academically but also (and more importantly) as people in their own right. It's a great movie, very beautifully made

But I do disagree with the French school system of such early academia. I'm more into the Nordic system of using the early years to encourage social and practical skills and arts and music. In my nearly 12yrs as a Nanny I've found most of the children I've looked after have responded better to a less academic early education. I'm totally geeky about early ed and developmental psychology so reading and learning about different countries and their schooling fascinates me.

Maybe I need to get out more.

Mme Lindt that's so cute

DD must make further progress in French, and express herself orally more. In maths, DD is not always very sure of herself, in particular number order and logic problems.

Doesn't sound that bad! - often the teachers are just giving some pointers on what to improve as everything is going well. They often focus on what is to be done rather thzn saying well done for what has been achieved.

That sounds fine for a child who's been learning French under a year! Logic problems probably require a fair understanding of language anyway.

Is your DD naturally reticent/slow to express herself in languages where she is confident/shy in large groups?

I wouldn't call that an unencouraging report at all - if those are the only comments she has then you're doing well.

As a teacher in the French system, I'd say that that is not a bad report card at all. I agree that for some reason praise is not often given, more attention is paid to what needs to be improved. It's not v encouraging for pupils.
I've noticed that even when my students are assessing each other they focus on what's wrong rather than what's good, and I have to remind them that they also need to point out what was done well.

Reading between the lines of the report, your DD is doing well, but will do even better once she speaks a bit more French (which will happen naturally). And she is a bit unsure when faced with number sequences and logic questions, but as other posters have said they are very hard to adjust to in a foreign language.
I am almost perfectly bilingual but I'd still rather do maths and counting in English, my mother tongue.
If you've not been in a French-speaking context for long, which the teacher has omitted to take into account, your DD is doing brilliantly given the circumstances.