A tribute to Samuel Paty is paid this Monday in all schools, from kindergarten to high school. Finally with only a minute of silence and the reading of the “Letter to teachers” by Jean Jaurès for older children, since the start of the school year is no longer postponed to 10 am to allow teachers to prepare a time for discussion with their students around freedom of expression and secularism, a decision taken at the end of the day on Friday to avoid crowds in front of establishments for which school transport could not be postponed.
Educational exchanges maintained at the Allende college in Rezé
There are still exceptions. At the Salador-Allende college in Rezé in particular. Because this time of exchange with the 535 students, the teachers and the management team prepared for it last week. About fifteen teachers met at college during their vacation, around the principal, Christian Caillaud. “It was really very strong and some teachers immediately expressed their anger and especially their discomfort”.
Explain why this murder is very important for us, teachers, but also for them
Professors upset, too, who will therefore come back to class on this terrorist assassination which affected one of their colleagues – someone like them – and have to take the necessary distance to discuss it with their students. “They saw all these images that happened to them during the holidays, without explanation”, explains Émilie Petit, the college librarian, “So for me, it’s very important to understand why this assassination is very important for us but also for them”.
Very different reactions depending on the students
It is also complex. So she sent videos and documents to colleagues to help them talk about secularism and blasphemy with young adolescents who come both from the sensitive district of the Château and the affluent district of Trentemoult. “We are going to have very different reactions depending on the students and the classes. So we have to be armed in the face of that”.
Allow our students to be able to pass judgment on who they want to be
And it’s long-term work for the principal of the college, Christian Caillaud: “we cannot limit that to one morning, the objective being to allow our students to be able to pass judgment on what they want to be, on their beliefs, and therefore to train them”.
–
