Last year the French government asked 133 randomly selected participants in a citizens' convention the following question: "How can we better structure […] children's daily lives so that they are more conducive to their learning, development and health?"
Among the suggestions in their final report was a new organisation of the school day: mornings devoted to theoretical learning and afternoons to more practical, artistic or athletic activities. They also proposed making room in the curriculum for manual skills and cooking – know-how that children could apply in everyday life.
The recommendations are in stark contrast to how French classrooms are currently perceived – as bastions of old-fashioned education values such as learning by heart and prioritising ‘traditional’ subjects, such as maths and science, over the arts.
“I think it’s true, it’s rigid, but increasingly less so – it really depends on the teacher,” said Céline Haller, 44, who in 2025 was named one of the world’s best teachers at the Global Teacher Prize in Dubai for her creative lessons. She teaches 10–11-year-olds in Strasbourg.
“More and more teachers in France are trying to innovate, trying not to teach like that, especially young teachers. But I think it is difficult to innovate in France because we have to respect rules and curriculum.”
Creativity varies
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Some 55% of French people think their education system is poor, according to a 2025 Ipsos poll, 20 points above the world average.
Céline Haller in the classroomCéline Haller
And because of the principle of liberté pédagogique, which allows teachers to choose how they teach, the level of creativity varies hugely from classroom to classroom.
“It is so hard for children. I have two daughters, and it is difficult when they have rigid teachers because they are not motivated; they don’t want to learn.”
Being strict with students does not make it any easier.
“They just do the opposite of what you want, because you are saying ‘you have to know that, you have to do that’ without explaining.”
The key to engaging children is planning creative and fun lessons, she said.
“If you bring creativity into the classroom, children will listen. They will be engaged, autonomous and responsible and will want to learn with you and trust you.”
One example of Ms Haller’s creativity is her Breakfast in Class project, now running for 13 years.
Her pupils plan breakfast for all 250 children in the school, from budgeting to sourcing local healthy food and preparing the meal.
“We learn mathematics, French, science, geography, history, all through the breakfast project,” she said. “I try to teach all subjects with one banana or with one piece of bread.
“My pupils are responsible for all the students in the school, so they want to do it for them. They want to work, to come to school, to talk to me, and they like to work together. It’s really beneficial for them. We have a really good class mood.”
Inspiration from other countries
France could also take inspiration from teaching practices in other countries such as the UK, US and Canada, she said.
“I visited a school in Canada and it was really fun while also being educational. In France, we are either fun or serious. If you say ‘I’m a fun teacher’, people assume you’re not a good teacher. I want to prove that you can be fun and serious.”
Her biggest take-home from observing classrooms in other countries is the autonomy of the students, and how class projects can teach multiple subjects at the same time.
“In France, I learn French and that’s it. And after that, I learn maths, and that’s it. And I don’t like to do that. In the UK and in Canada, from what I have seen and read, the children are at the centre of the project, and are really independent, and try to think, to problem solve. We don’t have that in France.”
Ms Haller has been forced to find new ways to teach within the confines of the French system.
“We have a curriculum and I respect that, but I don’t say you have to learn that for tomorrow and do it yourself. We do it at school together, and I try to come up with strategies and different ways to help them do that.”
She firmly believes there is room for improvement in most French classes, and that progress depends on political will.
“The government should encourage teachers to teach differently. It’s difficult because we are so free in our job that it really depends on the teacher.”
What advice would she give to teachers in France who want to be more creative?
“Just do it – listen to the children, work with the children. We have to motivate them, not just come to school, teach, then go home. I think that’s the most important thing, and that’s why I try to make things interesting.”
