School Trips

When a school in Australia or the United States organizes a trip, for whatever reason or event, it hires a bus and arranges for the picking up of the children at the school and their return there.  In France, we have noticed a completely different attitude to school excursions.

Here, even the youngest of children travel by public transport on such outings. We have seen "early primary school" children traveling in groups on the buses and on the Metro on the way to some event or exhibit. 

School Children at the Metro Station

Needless to say, those accompanying the youngsters are ever mindful of their charges and the children themselves carry labels around their neck with their name, the school they are from, and an emergency telephone number. Not surprising, like children anywhere on an outing, they seem to enjoy themselves immensely.

Most travelers seem quite happy to take the children in their stride and are aware of their entering or exiting vehicles.  Just how well the supervisors handle this was brought home to us when we watched a group get off a train in the Metro and the teacher count the children before signalling the driver of the train that he could depart the station. Clearly the driver of the train was aware of the children - even complicit in their safety. How this is arranged we don't know, but it is clear that something is planned in advance.

This kind of school outing can take place even in the most public of arenas.  For example, sitting as we were at a cafe on the Place du Tertre we watched a young group led, by a teacher, through this packed area as an experience of watching "artists" at work.

School Group at the Place du Tertre