Lifting of the wearing of the mask at school: the happiness of language teachers

Louise Sallé 6:26 a.m., March 14, 2022

With the mask, it is difficult to improve your accent and to engage in long discussions in English, German or Spanish.

Yet these classes are where students need to participate the most.

Without a covered mouth, therefore, hampering pronunciation, these lessons regain their full interest.

From this Monday, the health protocol is lightened at school.

Students and teachers no longer need to wear the mask during lessons.

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The dialogue made difficult with the mask

For example, Françoise Du has taught English in 9th and 12th grade in recent years in Rennes.

She chairs the association of language teachers.

“With the mask, it is difficult to encourage (the students), to have a dialogue, to speak to several people and to teach them to respect each other”, she regrets at the microphone of Europe 1. “It remains a handicap to wear one in class", adds the teacher, who continues: "I knew an Italian teacher who had only half a class, and do oral with half a class, in these conditions, it's possible. But with 30-35 students, you're not going to do it."

Difficulties in being understood

In primary school, students also learn English.

An hour and a half of their program is devoted each week to a foreign language.

Katerina Zinieri, mistress in CM2 in Orne, admits on Europe 1 that she had trouble making herself understood during the lesson.

"It's always very important to see the lips move, to hear the sounds, so it's really a relief that we no longer have the mask in language class!", She rejoices.

"I didn't always understand what they were saying, I couldn't correct them, and even for me it was difficult to make myself understood," says the professor.

The lifting of the wearing of the mask is therefore generally very well received.

Even if some teachers - a minority - refuse to remove it on Monday for fear of a resumption of contamination.