America is big, the food is unhealthier, and the teachers are less strict, say Emeline Ayglon and Melissa Provenchere, two teachers from France who visited Rachel Carson Middle School in March.

The two women were given a chance to visit America by their university, and went to New York for fun for four days before coming to RCMS. They went back to France on March 24 after one month at Carson. They both said that they liked America, and that the main difference from France was that everything is a lot bigger.

“It’s like ‘One Tree Hill,’ but in real life,” said Melissa. “For you it’s just life, but for French kids it’s just on TV, and then we come here and it’s real.”

French schools and American schools are pretty different, the women say. In France, schools start at 8:30 a.m.  and ends at 5 p.m. The students are also given lots of time between classes for breaks, and 1 hour and 30 minutes for lunch. Schools in France are also smaller.

“In France no eating or using phones in schools, the rules are strict,” said Emeline.

They also said they like the food. Melissa’s favorite restaurant is Shake Shack, which they don’t have in France. Both also said that they like donuts.

“It’s good,” said Melissa, “but it’s fat.”

They have learned a lot from their time in America, and both have things that are done at Carson that they want to bring back to their students. Emeline wants teachers to be more dynamic, working one on one with their students more.

“In France the teacher-student relationship is more strict, so it’s better here,” said Melissa.

They were both sad that they had to leave and want to visit America again in the future.