Teaching in France: ‘I feel like I’m on the frontline of making kids better’
By Abiodun Ogundairo
24 October 2020 |
10:52 am
France is holding a national tribute to Samuel Paty, the history teacher murdered outside his school because of a class he gave on freedom of speech in which he showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. We spoke to Gabriel Lattanzio, an English teacher at a secondary school on the outskirts of Paris. For him, the fact that some people, including parents, felt they could speak out against Paty shows that teachers are "discredited". Lattanzio says the government vowing full support for teachers is not enough. "I feel like I'm on the frontline of making kids better," he told FRANCE 24.
Related
4 Dec
A a former hotel driver stands accused of driving Hutus who massacred Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. In the late 1990s he moved to France, tried and failed to obtain asylum but became a French citizen in 2010.
4 Dec
The response to the tragic drownings on the English Channel has spiraled into a political spat between France and the UK, delaying proactive solutions to prevent future tragedies.
4 Dec
American-born entertainer-turned-resistance fighter and civil rights activist Josephine Baker is the latest to get the ultimate recognition from the French state: entombment in the Pantheon. That begs the questions: what does it take to be a national hero in France?
4 Dec
This week, we take you behind the scenes of one of Paris’ most beautiful landmarks: the Pantheon. A symbol of France’s values and collective memory, the mausoleum houses the remains of some of the country’s most esteemed men and women. On November 30, the Franco-American performer Josephine Baker will be reinterred there. But this selection requires more than just excellence. The choice is at the discretion of the President, and the reasons behind it are very political. FRANCE 24 explains.
1 Dec
Following the drowning of 27 people in the English Channel, France says it is preparing a new post-Brexit deal on migration. But Paris also asked the UK to stop "double speak."
2 Dec
This week, we take you behind the scenes of one of Paris’ most beautiful landmarks: the Pantheon. A symbol of France’s values and collective memory, the mausoleum houses the remains of some of the country’s most esteemed men and women. On November 30, the Franco-American performer Josephine Baker will be reinterred there. But this selection requires more than just excellence. The choice is at the discretion of the president, and the reasons behind it are very political. FRANCE 24 explains.
7 Dec
In this edition, we take you to the South Pacific and the French territory of New Caledonia, which is gearing up for a high-stakes vote on independence on December 12. While other overseas territories are fully integrated into France, New Caledonia stands apart because it is still considered a colony. The reasons for that are rooted in its history – we take a closer look. To fully understand what's at stake, we speak to anthropologist and historian Benoît Trépied.
25 Dec
France is home to some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. While many everyday businesses have struggled to bounce back from the health crisis, it’s been just the opposite for the most exclusive French labels. Jean-Noël Kapferer, professor emeritus of marketing, talks us through the success of luxury brands bouncing back from the pandemic. We also see how the luxury sector is making its way into the second-hand market, bringing in a whole new clientele.
18 Dec
In the south of France, the rocky inlets known as "Les Calanques" become popular as soon as spring arrives. Whether it's in Figuerolles, Cassis, Port-Miou or Marseille, these little coves are only accessible by sea. With their turquoise waters, they are small havens of peace. FRANCE 24 takes you to meet the people who live there all year round, guardians of this stunning natural beauty.
19 Dec
Nine years after Timbuktu welcomed them as liberators, French troops are withdrawing from their final outpost in Mali's far north. There's no unruliness here, but also no cries of mission accomplished: the jihadist radicals who scattered when French-led forces intervened have long since morphed into a low-intensity insurgency with raids as far away as the far north of Benin. With the summer's chaos in Afghanistan still fresh in memories, when is the right time to end military intervention?
17 Dec
Nine years after Timbuktu welcomed them as liberators, French troops are withdrawing from their final outpost in Mali's far north. There's no unruliness here, but also no cries of mission accomplished: the jihadist radicals who scattered when French-led forces intervened have long since morphed into a low-intensity insurgency with raids as far away as the far north of Benin. With the summer's chaos in Afghanistan still fresh in memories, when is the right time to end military intervention?
26 Dec
A quarter of couples experience infertility despite regular sex, according to the French national research institute INSERM. The reasons include exposure to pollutants, endocrine disruptors, trying for a child later on in life, smoking and obesity. But in more than 15 percent of cases, the cause of the infertility remains unconfirmed. France's health minister has decided to take action by putting together a working group to better understand the issue and suggest changes by the end of the year. FRANCE 24's Eléonore Vanel and Camille Nedelec report.
Latest
1 day ago
Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.
1 day ago
British inflation surged last month to its highest annual rate since 1982, piling pressure on finance minister Rishi Sunak to step up his help for households facing a worsening cost-of-living crisis.
1 day ago
The Ukrainian fighters who surrendered at the Azovstal steelworks are now in Russian captivity. Ukraine is hoping for a prisoner exchange.
1 day ago
The European Union plans to invest up to €300 billion to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, the European Commission announced.
1 day ago
North Korea reported more than 200,000 new illnesses on Thursday, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 1.98 million. Pyongyang has also not responded to offers of help from the WHO and other countries.
1 day ago
Bombs and weapons used in Afghanistan by militants and US forces are making their way into India-administered Kashmir, raising fears that they could bolster an Islamist insurgency in the area.