visiting elementary schools

Thanks Diane, I will try to find the web site you suggested!

I think the answer to this is a big giant, "it depends." Are you fluent in French, or at least competent enough to set up a visit? If not, I think it's unlikely to happen. Most (if not all) schools are behind closed, locked gates. They like to keep the parents out. You can't just show up and expect to get in. And they're going to want to know why you want to visit. While some teachers might be receptive, some teachers are likely to view this as an unwelcomed interruption. Heck, one of my daughter's teachers thinks kids raising their hands and asking questions is a major problem - and she told us this at parent/teacher night! Your best bet is going to be finding a private school or international school that is used to giving tours to prospective students.

I don't know the answer, but my son did a social studies project and contacted several elementary and middle schools in France through their embassy in the US and a website that listed several schools [I can't remember if I found the website through the EU, OECD?? (not sure if initials are correct), or UNESCO.] Good luck. We are going to try something similar in Spain and Morocco, but we have friends who are teachers in Spain.