"I'm thirty years old.... "For me, school is one of the pillars of my identity. Of course, it's where I acquired my knowledge and developed my skills. My qualifications enabled me to choose my profession and to practise it. By going to school and making a bit of effort, I realised that I could just as easily choose to be a hairdresser in the Lubéron, a writer in Senegal or an astronaut in French Guiana! But above all, I learnt to grow as part of a group and to be open to others. And I've given myself the means to be free to choose my life or to participate in a model of society to which I aspire. Of course, I don't limit my 'education' to school. I owe part of what I am today to my parents, to the experiences I've already had at the age of 30, and to the fact that I learn every day. For me, education is all that", Sylvie, 30, Paris
The 30-year-olds tell their stories...
"If things continue at this rate, if nothing much happens, I don't think things will change much. Maybe the teachers will have digital blackboards and there will be fewer compulsory subjects at the baccalaureate, but that's it. It would take someone really competent to persuade the government to take a look at the 'national education' dossier, and make it understand that it is the future citizens of its country for whom it is responsible. For me, education isn't just going to school and learning 2+2 makes 4. Education is much broader than that. ... School only teaches us a tiny part of our education, but it's essential. It's by going to school that we meet people, learn to listen to each other, and prepare ourselves for our future." Manon, 13, Paris
Those under 30 tell their stories...
"Thirty years ago, for me, school was a place where my children enjoyed going and where I had to build a relationship of trust with the teachers. School shaped me, and is largely responsible for what I have become. Today, it's a breath of fresh air when, three times a week, I go to help with homework (CP-CM2): joy and shouts from the children, confident and happy looks, listening - responding and kindness In 30 years' time, what will school be like? That's a good question. I'd like to see fewer pupils per class, a curriculum that's less dense in terms of knowledge acquisition and more open to personal development. Jean-Pierre V., aged 60
Those over 30 tell their stories...
