Louise Sallé, edited by Loane Nader // photo credit: AFP
This Monday morning, middle and high school students in France will go to their schools at 10 a.m., instead of their usual times, to pay tribute to French teacher Dominique Bernard, killed on Friday. The teachers from France will then exchange a few words before welcoming the students.
Emotions are very strong this Monday morning, as schools across the country prepare to welcome middle and high school students for a new week of classes, after the attack in Arras on Friday. The exchanges that teachers are entitled to before seeing their students again are therefore welcome, as evidenced by Christine, a history and geography teacher in Pontoise. “We need time to be able to think together about how we are going to welcome our students. They need to settle down, they need keys, and we too need to settle down,” she admits. .
“Abnormal states of mind”
As for Nathalie, also a history and geography teacher in Agen, she particularly dreads class discussions. “The excitement and the adolescents who will also watch the news, who will be overwhelmed with images by social networks, can cause them to arrive in ‘abnormal’ states of mind, which is entirely logical given that given the context,” she emphasizes.
Will the safety of teachers be ensured as promised by Élisabeth Borne, wonders Delphine, a documentalist in Montpellier. “I hope that this will be the reality, and that on the ground, we will indeed be able to feel the support of the government for our commitment which is, I think, important,” she believes.