While the responses are very similar, MIT students seem to deem a child well-behaved if they are good listeners and quiet, while students from ENSEIRB seem to value respectfulness and politeness more. Speaking from my experiences in the U. S., it is not uncommon to see children crying and screaming loudly in public spaces (airports, movie theaters, etc.), while I have heard that this is much less common in other countries. I wonder if this may explain the discrepancy in responses since we in the U. S. are exposed to children in different ways.

I agree with Susan’s observation that children seem to cry and scream much more in the U. S. than in most European countries, as this has been my experience in the U. S. versus the U. K.. Additionally, I noticed that the MIT students mentioned that good children are inquisitive and push boundaries, which are seen as desirable traits at MIT. Do the French also hope for curious and politely outspoken children, or is this seen as too individualistic, as we have discussed in the forum on Individualism?

I have not particularly noticed this discrepancy between American and foreign children, but I could believe it to be true. I wonder though, if the ENSIERB student’s use of polite includes the traits that the MIT students described? What are the nuances meant by “poli”?

I agree with Susan that it seems that ENSEIRB students value politeness and respectfulness much more than MIT students. What I was wondering, though, is if the ENSEIRB students think this might be because they have a more uniform idea of how a child should act. This might explain why on the MIT side, many responses are specific things children should or should not do instead of general principles. What do you think?

I think all of these comments are interesting. I also think it is interesting in the sentence prompt in that the english one is “well-behaved” implying that it is the child more duty whereas the french one is translated to “well-raised” implying that it is more of the parents duty. I am wondering if this is also true when translating the english to french?

I feel like the French emphasis on politeness comes from two sources. The first is the wording of the question which makes it seem like the focus on a “well-raised and educated child” which draws the mind towards rules, politeness, and etiquette. The second source is the European emphasis on tradition and the enduring customs of etiquette and courtly behavior stemming from historical traditions.

I agree with rsholler that it reveals something about each respective culture that the English prompt discusses a “well-behaved child” and the French prompt discusses a “well-raised” child. I think that this also can be tied into the ideas of community and individualism as well.

Je suis d’accord avec Susan lorsqu’elle dit que les étudiants du MIT associent un enfant bien élevé à un enfant qui se comporte bien, qui écoute et qui est calme. Alors que les étudiants de l’ENSEIRB l’associent à du respect et de la politesse. Pour répondre à son expérience aux Etats-Unis où il n’y a pas beaucoup d’enfants qui pleurent ou crient dans des espaces publics, il est vrai qu’en France ceci n’est pas rare.