Observations about the French education system

This is the first in a series (hopefully) of observations about the French culture after spending 8 months in Lyon. Today's topic is the French education system. 

My daughters attend a unique French public school which is home to 10 different international language "sections." Despite the multicultural configuration, the goal of the curriculum is to get all the students assimilated into the French system as rapidly as possible. The girls take only 6 hours per week in English (British style), and everything else is in French, with French teachers and administrators. The two styles of education are vastly different. Each side has its strengths and weaknesses, and I think it can only benefit my daughters in the long run to be exposed to multiple teaching styles and educational value systems. I'll do my best not to make judgments about good vs. bad, right vs. wrong -- they're just different. So here are some of the things I've observed so far:

• The French system values the collective over the individual. I've seen this play out in a number of scenarios. For example, France has extremely rigid national curriculum standards. Every student in each grade level is being taught the same material in the same manner. The grading system exposes this, too. Every time a student gets a grade, the class "moyenne" (average) is also shared. That way, the student can compare how he or she is doing compared to the rest of the class. Every trimester, a class "conseil" is held. The teachers gather with an elected class representative to talk about each student and how they are affecting the class as a whole: Is Johnny keeping up, or is he dragging the class down? What's the "personality" of this class - is it lively or calm? Serious or silly?
• Neatness is a virtue. During our first visit to Lyon, we had dinner with a family that had a 6 year old daughter. She was working on her handwriting, and I took a peek. Her writing was extremely small, and was produced with careful meticulousness. I remember thinking that I couldn't believe that this was expected of such a young child; that it would never be possible with American kindergarteners. The lined paper used in schools has both vertical and horizontal guide marks to facilitate precision. Four horizontal lines make up each row, like so: 

Students are also required to use a ruler for any line that needs to be drawn: underlining a title, connecting responses between two columns, etc.  A middle schooler showed me one of her science tests, in which the teacher docked points for not using a ruler when she indicated the directional flow of a river current. Which leads me to the next point:

• Perfection is the (impossible) standard. French grades are given on a 20 point scale. Nobody ever, ever gets a 20. The teacher will always find some small error - because although perfection is held up as the ideal, to actually achieve perfection would give the impression that the student is equal to the teacher. (By the way, a double-digit grade is usually considered passing.) Teachers rarely praise students for what they do right; what they do wrong is pointed out...sometimes in front of the entire class.
• Reproduction is more appreciated than creativity. Students are taught to master the material as presented and not think too much outside the box. This is seen even in art class: Draw a chair. THIS chair. Don't use your imagination. 

I could go on, and I will on a future date...I think this post should have a part 2. I still need to talk about math, independence, homework, and more. In the meantime: if you have gone to school in France, I'd like your feedback. Agree? Disagree? Other observations? Post your comments, please.