Épreuve
According to Google, épreuve translates to "ordeal"; when our teacher described this word, she said épreuve is "a difficult moment," often used in one of two contexts: university exams and sports.
So what? you ask. There are lots of French words we learn every day. What's so special about épreuve?
Well, you see, as we listened to our teacher's explanation of this seemingly small word, we were not only learning new vocabulary, but we were given another glimpse into the French mindset and culture.
After receiving our first exams back last semester, I was disappointed. 11/20?! 55%?! That's terrible! I thought. Then our friend, teammate, and former elementary school teacher encouraged me saying that anything above a 10 is a good score. "11/20 is equal to a B, maybe 85%, in the US," he told me. He explained that the goal of teachers in France is to give the students a difficult experience; if every student in the class gets 20/20 (all tests are based on 20 points, no matter how many questions), the teacher didn't do their job well.
Épreuve.
I was reminded of this again as our teacher handed us a worksheet to complete. "It's difficult," she said, "but just try. If you need to ask your neighbor, that's fine." Try? We've never seen these words and we're supposed to give synonyms, without using a dictionary? What is the point?
Épreuve.
Seven little letters, one great insight.
So what? you ask. There are lots of French words we learn every day. What's so special about épreuve?
Well, you see, as we listened to our teacher's explanation of this seemingly small word, we were not only learning new vocabulary, but we were given another glimpse into the French mindset and culture.
After receiving our first exams back last semester, I was disappointed. 11/20?! 55%?! That's terrible! I thought. Then our friend, teammate, and former elementary school teacher encouraged me saying that anything above a 10 is a good score. "11/20 is equal to a B, maybe 85%, in the US," he told me. He explained that the goal of teachers in France is to give the students a difficult experience; if every student in the class gets 20/20 (all tests are based on 20 points, no matter how many questions), the teacher didn't do their job well.
Épreuve.
I was reminded of this again as our teacher handed us a worksheet to complete. "It's difficult," she said, "but just try. If you need to ask your neighbor, that's fine." Try? We've never seen these words and we're supposed to give synonyms, without using a dictionary? What is the point?
Épreuve.
Seven little letters, one great insight.
This is so true! Jack had standardized testing a couple of months ago and was thrilled to receive a 55% in the Irish portion. I was frustrated/borderline-annoyed, but then he said, "No Mom, it's great. It's a C+!" Ohhhhhh... Sorry for your difficult experience, but hooray you passed it!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine being an elementary or high school student in France (or apparently Ireland). I'm not cut out for that kind of attitude! Good for Jack in being able to understand the two systems.
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