Head to a French school and suggest a game of chess, and you may have a bunch of nervous kids before you! Echecs is indeed the word used for chess, but it's also a word linked to failure – and one that's bandied about far more in the French school system than elsewhere. Here to discuss the dogmatic rigidity of the system that has unfortunately led to widespread failure among French students is Peter Gumbel, journalist and author of They Shoot School Kids, Don't They? http://www.petergumbel.com/fr/bio https://www.amazon.fr/Shoot-School-Essai-blanche-English-ebook/dp/B005P8GOVQ https://www.amazon.fr/French-School-Without-Tears-English-ebook/dp/B012UGYBTC Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio Find Us Online Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/ Credits - Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com Music Credits Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix) 🎵 MSKD Sounds: ↪︎https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/ ↪︎https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql... ↪︎https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds 🎵 DeliFB: ↪︎https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB ↪︎https://soundcloud.com/delifb ↪︎https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/ ↪︎https://twitter.com/DeliciousFB About Us From one Emily in Paris to another... just speaking French isn't enough to understand the intricacies of the locals, but it's definitely a good place to start. Famously defended by armed "immortals" of the Académie Française (no, we're not making this up) the French language is filled with clues that show interested outsiders what, exactly, makes the French tick. Each episode, listen in as Emily Monaco and an expert take a deep dive into a word that helps us gain a keener understanding of the French.