Teaching differently through Occitan in middle school

The teacher among his 6th grade students.

A Spanish and Occitan teacher at Paul-Dardé College in Lodève, Éric Astié likes to share his passion with his students. In the 6th grade class, there are 11 of them, 9 girls and 2 boys who have chosen the Occitan option, for different reasons.

For Leni, it's obvious, “my whole family speaks Occitan“. For Elisa and Manon, the explanations given by the teacher who came to meet them in primary school were convincing. Adèle, Sophie and Estelle came from an Occitan school before entering secondary school. None of them regret their choice.

Bilingual signage in the canteen

At the beginning of the year, their teacher got them to do a project: make bilingual signage for the signs displayed in the canteen.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Use of the computer, search for emojis, lamination, sentence construction, display with the agreement of the kitchen staff. The project was entirely carried out by the students supervised by their teacher. “The canteen is a place where everyone passes by. Personalizing the panels with the names of their directors and their class encourages other students to look at them and, why not, join the group,” says the teacher. The Occitan option students appreciate this slightly different, more interactive way of working. “With a nice teacher,” they say. They will also take part in a trip to the Périgord for 3 days. On March 8, they will sell crepes to help finance the trip that will take place on April 2, 3 and 4. To close the language week, the students organize a carnival for Mardi Gras, followed by the judgment of the “ Carmentrant” which is quartered.

During the Christmas period, the 6th graders also made oil pumps, a Provençal pastry that they then shared with their classmates and teachers.

Éric Astié wants to open the students up to a culture that brings together 33 departments. “This option should be made permanent and there should be an opening in high school to allow high school students to take Occitan for the Baccalaureate. Otherwise it is more difficult to motivate middle school students to choose this option”, regrets the teacher, convinced of the importance of this subject. And the middle school students who participate in his classes will not contradict him.

Midi Libre correspondent: 06 31 85 56 57