Is the account good for the big return of mathematics in first class, at the start of the school year, Thursday, September 1? At the time of taking out their new call sheets and their most beautiful red pen, the teachers remain skeptical about this new option of 1h30 per week. On June 2, Emmanuel Macron confirmed the “non-compulsory” return of this subject to the common core of first, from September, three years after its abolition by the Minister of National Education at the time, Jean-Michel Blanquer, as part of the high school reform. Finished the S, ES and L streams. Instead, students must choose, at the end of the second, three subjects from a panel of twelve specialties for their year of first, reduced to two in terminal.
“There will always be the math specialty, but there will be the possibility offered to all students to choose, outside the specialty, the hour and a half of mathematics”, said the president during a trip to Marseille. Taken aback by the Head of State’s announcement, principals and teachers had to resort to last-minute arrangements, a few days before the summer holidays, to carry out the government’s will from the start of the school year. “This return to maths was done in a hurry”regrets Johanne, a mathematics teacher at the Lyon Academy.
The teaching staff particularly felt this precipitation during the end-of-year councils, last June, in the second classes, when the announcement of the maths option came to upset the choice of orientation of the pupils. At this moment, “all specialty wishes were grantedrecalls Stéphane Saubusse, deputy headmaster of a high school in the Bordeaux region, contacted by franceinfo. The students had until their class council [s’étalant généralement entre fin mai et début juin] to give us back their choices”. The establishments then had to alert “by email” Where “by text message” pupils and their families of the existence of the new optional education that the teachers’ associations would like to be compulsory in the common core of first year.
In Johanne’s high school, the teachers decided to add, at the last minute, a box “in blue pen” for the mathematics option in the first year registration files. The mathematics teacher advised two of her students “that she knows motivated” to choose this option for “not to close doors“. But in reality, there was not enough time to raise students’ awareness of this novelty.
“The students were warned at a time when we no longer saw them. In concrete terms, they could not project themselves into this option.”
Margaux*, mathematics teacher in Pas-de-Calaisat franceinfo
It was all the more difficult to inform future graduates about the content of the option as the programs did not fall before July 6, the last day of the school year. “We were unable to answer their questions”concludes Johanne. Result: many establishments found themselves with very few registrants during the summer holidays.
While the distribution of classes and levels were decided in the spring, the school directors also had to tackle a new organization of services to find which teacher could take charge of the option at the start of the school year. A major challenge, sometimes, according to Pierre Priouret, head of the mathematics group of Snes-FSU and teacher in Toulouse. Because for most teachers, this means that you have to add 1h30 to the 18 hours of weekly lessons that have already been assigned to them. An additional workload that not everyone is likely to accept.
Contacted by franceinfo, the ministry specifies on this subject that a reserve of 350 National Education posts has been mobilized so that the academies can redistribute, as needed, human resources to the establishments.
“All the preparation for the start of the 2022 school year, which had already been thought out, has been turned upside down.”
Claire Guéville, head of high school at Snes-FSUat franceinfo
In full realization of the schedules, the principals also had to rack their brains to fit this new niche. “The weeks are already jam-packed”, says Stéphane Saubusse. Especially since, very often, the pupils of first who choose the optional teaching of maths, “most motivated” according to the headteacher, already hold a good number of options. “There, with math and more, we arrive at very many combinations”he warns.
So far, Stéphane Saubusse has managed to “bring it all in”but he warns: schedules “will be less pretty than those of last year”. For good reason, in his establishment, three first classes will have lessons on Wednesday afternoons because of these adjustments. Some, at unattractive times that Pierre Priouret dreads: “With slots late in the evening or between noon and two, it will be difficult to recruit students”.
A few days before the start of the school year, Nicolas Buyle-Bodin despite everything wants to be confident: “the textbooks will be completed and available to teachers for the start of the school year.” At the end of July, however, the mathematics teacher and author of the “Index” manuals (Bordas edition) was still in front of his computer to finalize the chapter of a booklet intended to accompany the teaching of the maths option, from September. If usually, the design of such a manual is spread over ten months, this year, his fellow authors and himself had to do everything in eight weeks, once the programs were published. A record time, he says.
Another problem raised by the teachers interviewed by franceinfo: the density of the content of this option of 1h30 per week only. Derivation, exponential functions… Sharp notions and often more difficult for students to master. “This is what is normally found in mathematics specialization”comments Pierre Priouret.
“One has the impression that the option will be a sprinkling of notions of mathematics without it being possible to deepen them.”
Margaux, teacher in Pas-de-Calaisat franceinfo
For many, the program of the new option is ultimately similar to that of the teaching of first technology mathematics. Only major difference: “We have 3 hours of lessons per week in this course”, explains Margaux, who taught at this level. For her, to fit the quantity of notions present in the program in 1h30 is impossible. “There are both complex notions, but also an important part on automation. It’s far too much for the time available”abounds Pierre Priouret.
Thus, several teachers interviewed expressed their doubts about the future of the students brought to follow this optional education. In theory, the new course is supposed to constitute a bridge with the complementary maths option of terminale, recalled the Ministry of National Education in a circular sent to the heads of establishments, on June 2, which franceinfo was able to consult. But Margaux wonders about their ability to follow this course in terminale, normally intended for students who have followed a more in-depth specialty program in first year.
Otherwise, “will they have the level to keep pace in higher education?”, dare to question Pierre Priouret. In his high school, it was agreed with the rectorate that the maths option group could be adjusted in September, depending on the “latest arrivals”. Deep down, the union representative hopes that this false start will not be an argument used by the ministry “to drop everything”.
* The first name has been changed at the request of the person concerned.