In a few weeks, thousands of CM2 schoolchildren will discover a new world, inevitably stressful, scary for some of them. To limit the apprehension of the start of the school year, an establishment in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines) has set up a tutoring operation throughout the year. The principle is simple: "recruit", among 4th grade students, referents who accompany CM2 schoolchildren throughout the year before their "big return".
Regularly, on Wednesdays, the "adults" of the college of Gassicourt meet the "little ones" during workshops or various animations. The "little ones" discover the corridors of the college, meet teenagers who explain to them the functioning of their future establishment. And as if by magic, the apprehension of the return to school decreases, the stage fright decreases.
"We are told all the time that middle school is the worst place, that it is harder, so it's a good idea to come here," says Lina, one of the 110 students from Mantes-la-Jolie who participate in the program. "We can't wait to come, and even more so since we were able to meet middle school students," says Lina. They taught us the rules, how it works. And next year, we won't be alone if something goes wrong. »
In addition to the stress of back-to-school is the stress of rivalries between neighbourhoods.
Closely monitored by the teaching community, the program has recorded significant effects among primary school children in the three Mantes-la-Jolie schools concerned. "These meetings make it possible to evacuate the fantasies related to entering secondary school," says Mickaël, a teacher at Val-Fourré. Children are less stressed, more reassured. This is perhaps even more important in a city like Mantes-la-Jolie. Because to the natural and universal stress of entering college is added that related to the tensions that can sometimes exist in the neighborhoods. Some conflicts are exported even in the corridors of institutions. »
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Beyond the pedagogical support of the youngest, the device also makes it possible to empower the oldest, all volunteers to participate in the operation. "We started with three or four tutors but we quickly found ourselves with about twenty teenagers because the demand was so high," says Samia Jimouaa, one of the two CPEs of the establishment.
"They love playing this role"
"We learned a lot about our young people because it is not necessarily those with the best academic skills who register, embraces Cyril Norbec the principal. They like to play this role of big brother or big sister. For them, it also develops extracurricular skills that can help them in their adult lives. »
In addition to its undeniable pedagogical usefulness, the operation also has a social vocation in this large popular city. The poverty rate is nearly 35% in Le Mantois and many families have no activities to offer their children on Wednesday afternoons.
"For some, these meetings help fight against the idleness of Wednesdays," says Géraldine Roy, deputy principal. Not all young people here can afford to have activities that day. There they keep busy and learn. »
