Publish at November 11 2019 Updated December 17 2025
Many things are learned in the course of one's school career. Whether it's mother tongue, foreign languages, the humanities, natural sciences or mathematics, teachers are trained to pass on this knowledge. However, when it comes to more personal aspects, most learning comes from experience, or that of others. While sex education courses do exist in some circles, they do nothing to prepare people for parenthood, among other things.
Indeed, new parents often have to rely on family stories, friends who are already parents, or a few books on child-rearing. Strictly speaking, there were no courses for them. We're using the imperfect tense, because since the beginning of 2019, a parents' school has been open in Roubaix.
Ester-Marie Becquart, the elected representative in charge of the family, came up with the idea a long time ago. As a teenager, she found it odd that there were schools for almost everything, apart from the all-important role of looking after children. As she grew older and worked as a volunteer with families for 30 years, she saw similar issues and sometimes distraught parents. With an idea for a school under her belt, she decided to implement it at the end of 2018. The idea is to train cohorts of around fifty people, whether parents, grandparents or couples with or without children.
5 mornings, taking place on Saturdays, are organized on topics such as household rules, children's temperament, leisure activities, married life, etc. The course is not a traditional blackboard session. No, it starts at around 9 a.m. with a breakfast where the adults share their experiences. This is followed by a more formal time when individuals are given the right to speak, in order to stimulate discussion. The whole process is overseen by one or more speakers from the community who can offer suggestions for solutions and even "homework" to be done. In other words, parents will have to apply what they have learned and discuss it a little more the following week.
The themes are general, so that they can be applied to more situations and more people. In fact, not all children balk at broccoli, but all have certain eating difficulties. That's how we approach it. And for those wondering, yes, a daycare service is set up for 6 to 12 year-olds to leave their parents free to go to class without worry.
It's not just in Roubaix that the idea of offering workshops for current and future parents is gaining ground. This Greek psychotherapist offers workshops, lectures and discussions with parents on a variety of topics at her center. As she explains on her page, the role of parents and children is changing, and it seems important to be able to help adults evolve and know how to act well with their families.
In the United States, these are not courses on parenting as such, but on parents' relationship with school. During the summer, they can learn more about policies and desired changes in the public education system. Among other things, they learn about the role of those on school improvement councils. Often ignored by parents, these councils are vital for giving their opinion on the evolution of the school their child or children attend. So much so that administrations sometimes fail to hold them, even though they are supposedly mandatory and open to the public. This summer school is a reminder of their existence and importance.
There may not be any manuals with all the answers for parents. Many things are learned through experience. Nevertheless, the arrival of initiatives like the one in Roubaix could lead to other parenting schools elsewhere in France and the rest of the French-speaking world.
Illustration: rawpixel from Pixabay
References
Harding, Douglas. "Summer School for Parents Explores Local School Improvement Councils." The Parthenon. Last updated: August 6, 2019.
https://marshallparthenon.com/21320/news/summer-school-for-parents-explores-local-school-improvement-councils/
Libert, Mikaël. "What Will We Learn at L'Ecole Des Parents?" 20 Minutes. Last updated: January 16, 2019.
https://www.20minutes.fr/lille/2424055-20190116-roubaix-va-apprendre-ecole-parents
Renoul, Bruno. "Three Questions About The School Of Parents Launched By The City In January." VDN. Last updated: December 6, 2018.
https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/501710/article/2018-12-06/trois-questions-sur-l-ecole-des-parents-lancee-par-la-ville-en-janvier
"School For Parents." Gabriella Philippou. Accessed 07 November 2019.
https://www.gabriellaphilippou.com/programmes/school-for-parents/
"Ça Se Passe Comme ça à L'école Des Parents." ROUBAIXXL. Last updated: May 7, 2019.
https://www.roubaixxl.fr/ca-se-passe-comme-ca-a-lecole-des-parents/
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