This evening I accompanied Fianna to an OIB Event organised by some of the parents of Theo's class. The OIB is the International Option of the Baccalauréate. Under the pretext of being French and having 2 children who had already gone through the OIB, I left the parents (predominantly American moms) to get on with their meeting, and retreated to the kitchen with my host. I must admit that with my children I used a more laissez-faire approach. My assumption was that they would get their Baccalauréat and that if they needed anything they would tell me. The responsibility for getting their Bac was squarely on their shoulders with support being provided on an ad-hoc basis. Now it seems that for middle class parents getting your child through high school and into university has become a Project. Finishing High School has gone from being an individual achievement to a team event. The mum (I'm reverting to English) is the coach, the dad is the sponsor, there are a number of experts and trainers who give extra lessons, the extended family is roped in to act as cheerleaders and supporters, there is a detailed calendar of preparation, with training courses and boot camps. I'm not sure this is the best preparation for university life where you have to be much more self reliant.
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