My 3 kids went to school in France and the US. The French school system isn't perfect, but I'd choose it again.

• American Sarah Lucas is raising her three children in France, where she moved 25 years ago.
• She navigated the French school system, which she said is very different from the US.
• The mom said education in both countries has its pros and cons.

This story is based on an interview with Sarah Lucus, 52, of the Chamonix valley, France, who works in international education. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to France in 2001 for personal and professional reasons after meeting a man from there in the US.

At the time, I was looking to work with the United Nations organizations and international NGOs. We settled in the Chamonix Valley, about an hour from Geneva, because it was a very convenient place to live.

My three kids — Charlie, 15, Elizabeth, 20, and Jeanne, 22 — were all born in France. Charlie is in the equivalent of 10th grade, Elizabeth is in art school in Paris, and Jeanne recently finished a bachelor's degree at McGill University in Montreal.

They've spent most of their education in France, apart from three years between 2014 and 2017 when we moved to Seattle.

There are many differences between the two school systems, neither of which is perfect. However, overall, I'd defend the French one as better.

Kids can enroll in no-cost preschool as young as 2.5

The preschool education in France is wonderful. The children learn lots of pre-writing and accounting skills, but it's very play-based, warm, and welcoming.

It's free, which eases the burden considerably. Charlie went to preschool in Seattle, and it cost $900 a month. It was a private Montessori, but there weren't really any other options.

Looking back, it was crazy that we spent the equivalent of our monthly rent on it.

Food is excellent

Most French schools allow at least an hour and a half for lunch, so the meal is nowhere near as rushed as in the US, where crowded cafeterias are the norm.

Even in preschool, they sit down at the table and get served with plates, knives, and forks. It's often four courses — something like a small salad, chicken and rice for the main, and cheese, followed by dessert. It usually costs around 5 euros per day, roughly $5.50.

Younger kids are not allowed to bring lunch, which can be difficult if you have picky eaters.

Students are allowed to leave the school grounds in French middle and high schools with permission. At that point, you could go outside with your own lunch, go home, or eat at a café or restaurant in town.

Cursive writing is pretty uniform

French schools have a very strong attachment to cursive writing, which starts very early.

It's very strict. I got upset one time when Elizabeth wrote her name in class with lots of little curly cues. She wanted to put some extra embellishments on the E to make it look cute.

Her paper came home with a great big "No!" on it, written in red pen by the teacher. There's only one way to do writing.

Still, it has its advantages. I was really shocked by the standard of handwriting in schools when we came back to the US. Some of it was basically scrawls, which you could barely decipher.

In France, everyone has to do exactly the same handwriting, so it's much easier to read.

Learning can be rigid

Similarly, there seems to be a single process for getting to that final outcome. You are discouraged from teaching your kids any other way of doing math than in school.

The lack of creative writing could be frustrating for me. One of my daughters had to do an oral report. Everyone was assigned a country, but they were given a model.

It said that the name of the country goes here and the flag goes here, write three things they eat and three things they do. There was no capacity for free thinking to create your own poster.

Things usually change in high school, where students will often hold philosophical debates now that they're older. I was at an educational conference recently, and someone told me that French children have to earn their opinions, unlike Americans, who are born with them.

Then there's the high-stakes Baccalauréat at 18. The exams are extremely stressful because your future hinges so much on them.

They changed it up a bit by factoring in class averages, but it's hard work. This has its advantages because a lot of French kids seem ready for the demands of college.

French children frequently miss out on school spirit

School spirit and wearing school colors are ingrained in American education.

In France, there is no inter-school rivalry, unlike in countries like the US, where there is Friday night football.

Organized sports are often extracurricular, so students miss out on the high school camaraderie you see in American movies. Prom isn't a thing here either.

I also find it a shame that science fairs are uncommon. There isn't that thrill when you unveil your project in the school cafeteria. Instead, in science class, you are told how to build a volcano in a precise way, which doesn't vary.

That said, I'm glad that my kids have gone to school in France. For one thing, you don't have to worry about school shootings.

It's always difficult when you move abroad. You go through stages of culture shock, rejection, and then acceptance. I'm very accepting of the French education system these days.

My children certainly benefited from it and are doing really well.