All they have left is the baccalaureate philosophy test and the big oral. Knowing that a large part of the assessment of final year students for the baccalaureate is based on continuous assessment, and that their specialty tests, accounting for 32% of the final mark, took place for the first time in March, the pressure has dropped. Especially since they have already completed their file for Parcoursup and the last marks they will obtain will not be scrutinized for their admission to higher education. This makes principals, like teachers, fear a lack of attendance.
The trend can already be seen in some high schools. “Absenteeism has increased by 10 to 15% compared to last year at the same time. And after the spring break, I’m afraid it will get worse, ”says Florent Martin, headmaster of the Christian Bourquin high school in Argelès-sur-Mer. “It is not easy to succeed in concentrating the attention of the pupils on the four remaining chapters. Many of them do not see the point of it, they rarely show up in class, ”also notes Greg, a physical sciences teacher, who responded to our call for witnesses.
“In one of my classes, half the class was absent”
The fears of Merryleine, a teacher in economics and law, have also been confirmed: “The classes are filled to two thirds, even 50% depending on the time (easier to come at 3 p.m. than at 8 a.m.). The students do not see the point of continuing to come despite the last theme to be covered and the two missing notes to complete the report cards”, she notes. Ditto for Pierre, maths teacher: “Last week, after the announcement of the results, in one of my classes, half of the class was absent and only one student had done his exercises. “And all high schools, whatever their reputation, seem concerned by this general relaxation, as confirmed by Valérie, also a maths teacher: “I work in an advantaged high school and yet, we have a lot of absenteeism, which even the parents approve. »
An attitude that the teachers deplore, even if they confide not to blame the students. Like Cyrille, who prepares students for the big oral: “How can we blame them? You are 17/18 years old, you know that you have your baccalaureate, culmination of all these years spent on the benches of the school… Obviously that if we offer you the possibility of hanging out a little before the rest, you go grab it, it’s legit! Those who have set up this calendar are a little above ground, or rub shoulders with a minority of hard-working students…”, he believes. “Where is the point for my students, for example, to learn the decimal logarithm function now? It will never be useful to them in the professions they have chosen, ”regrets Valérie.
Drying is not without consequences
However, drying out is harmful in more ways than one. “Some had bad grades in the specialty exams. They would need a good mark in philosophy and the great oral to obtain their baccalaureate. And if they don’t work seriously until the end of the year, they will have less chance of getting there,” says Florent Martin. “For the moment, only three students have begun to think about the subject of grand oral. I imagine that like the two previous years, the majority will look at it after the end of the courses, in June. And those in difficulty would have an interest in considering probable remedial tests, and therefore to work until the end, ”adds Pierre.
But no question of resigning. The educational teams try to stimulate them as much as possible, like Alix, a history and geography teacher in a private high school: “I bet on the hope that many of them are trying to get a mention. And I regularly remind them that our program is very similar to that of business school preparation. I am also lucky to be able to count on the intellectual curiosity of some people. And if the motivation really fails, I will transform my course into presentations: the students respect, overall, the work of their comrades, ”she explains. Florent Martin does a job of persuasion: “I remind them of the importance of building skills. And I’m thinking about setting up a preparation module for the oral exam, methodology for work in higher education…”
“Five months without thinking too much”
On the other hand, it is useless to play the authority card, according to Annabelle, a philosophy teacher: “The ‘threat’ of putting a bad opinion on their school report in the event of absenteeism does not frighten them at all: they have their notes and know very well whether or not they will pass the baccalaureate. And no need to rely too much on the support of parents, according to Florent Martin: “We warn them of the absences of their children. But if the latter have obtained good results in the specialty tests, they do not scold them. »
It is especially on the risk of arriving in higher education with gaps that teachers insist. “The high school reform was presented as a way of “reclaiming the month of June”. However, we lost the whole 3rd quarter. The most serious thing is that many students need it to properly prepare for their entry into higher education,” says Annabelle. “After spending 5 months without thinking too much, without taking notes, without concentrating, they will have difficulty getting back to work,” worries Florent Martin.