4.3.1 “The quality of the lessons was high.”
—Tadeusz Łepkowski, student. A free Polish school in occupied France (2012), based on Wolna szkoła polska w okupowanej francji (1990).
The classes followed the Polish state secondary school curriculum of the late 1930s, albeit with some adaptations. All students, without exception, were required to follow an intensive course (an average of five hours per week) in French language and literature, a condition for the recognition of the equivalence of the baccalaureate awarded at Villard with the French baccalaureate. Similarly, the history and geography syllabuses naturally placed greater emphasis on France than had been the case in pre-war Poland. On the other hand, the way the students were divided into classes followed the Polish model, rather than the French one.
Initially, the school year consisted of two terms, as in Poland. It was not until 1941-1942 that the French quarterly rhythm was adopted. Classes lasted 50 minutes, which was also a compromise between the Polish 45 minutes and the French 60 minutes. The school day ended at 1.30pm.
It was difficult to complete the entire syllabus because of the lack of teaching materials and, above all, the lack of laboratories or study rooms for certain subjects such as physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology and geography. Furthermore, a significant number of students had no knowledge of French at all, having taken German or English in Poland. The Polish, Latin, history, civic education, philosophy, religion and mathematics syllabuses posed the fewest problems, despite the lack of books and textbooks.
The Polish, history and French teachers liked to have their students write essays on extra-curricular subjects, similar to the essays required of French high school students on philosophical, civic, social and general culture issues. Here are some examples: What might I gain from a stay abroad? What are national traditions? Write a letter to a friend. Write a physical and moral portrait of yourself. Write a physical and moral portrait of one of your teachers.
In the almost complete absence of textbooks and laboratories, teachers had to draw inspiration from the teaching methods used at university, and the first students had to practise the difficult art of taking notes.
Efforts were made to acquire a copying machine. Mimeographed textbooks began to be produced. Several dozen copies would be carefully printed and given a hardback binding to ensure they had a reasonable lifespan. By 1 June 1942, a total of 558 pages and 877 copies had been produced. These reproductions included Gerhardt ‘s Inorganic Chemistry, Berger ‘s Trigonometry and Analytical Geometry, Chechelski ‘s Ethics, Harwas ‘s Latin Grammar, Abbé Bozowski ‘s Ethics and Dogma, and the History of Poland (1914-1926), probably written by Godlewski.
Opinions differed as to the standard of teaching and the following of the curriculum, but it must be acknowledged that this is an issue on which it is particularly difficult to be objective. Suffice to say, many former students and some teachers agree that the quality of the classes was, on the whole, high, even very high in the sciences (particularly mathematics, where Berger ‘s courses were of a higher standard than the first years of university), and also in literature and history. The language classes, and English in particular, were deemed mediocre. Given the crucial importance of mastering French, intensive lessons were organized in the early years, with three levels of groups.
Students were constantly taking exams: oral exams, end-of-term exams, retake exams, not to mention, the “petit bac” (for the transition from junior high school to high school) and the baccalaureate itself. Teachers spent most of their class time teaching and had little time for written assessments. As a result, exams were usually oral, one-on-one sessions with the teacher at a mutually agreed time. In addition, when they arrived at the high school, students who could not produce school certificates had to take tests. Sometimes, students who were not happy with a grade they had received would ask to resit an exam in order to improve their results. Despite the many difficulties in organising the teaching, the students ‘ academic results can be considered satisfactory.
