Faire l'école buissonnière

Marie, an office worker, woke up on a beautiful morning and decided that the thought of sitting through endless meetings was unbearable. Instead of going to work, she fait l'école buissonnière by calling in sick and heading to the beach.

The French expression faire l'école buissonnière literally translates to attending bush school.  It's a way of saying missing school or work to indulge in a bit of leisurely mischief, as in playing hooky.  More broadly, it’s a masterclass in the art of dodging responsibilities, with a touch of pretending to be a carefree rebel!

Origin

The origin of the expression dates back to the 16th century during the time of the Protestant Reformation. The term école buissonnière referred to clandestine schools that were set up by Protestant reformers like Martin Luther, who were banned from teaching in official, Catholic-controlled schools. These secret schools were often held in hidden or remote locations such as fields, woods, or behind bushes, to evade detection and persecution by the Catholic authorities.

In this historical context, attending a "bush school" was a form of covert education. However, over time, the term evolved and its meaning shifted. Today, faire l'école buissonnière no longer carries the connotation of secret or forbidden education.  It simply means "to skip school or work with no good reason," reflecting a departure from one’s expected duties rather than engaging in clandestine learning.

Examples

Plutôt que d'aller à la réunion, j'ai fait l'école buissonnière et pris un café avec un ami.
Instead of going to the meeting, I played hooky and had coffee with a friend.

Nous avons décidé de faire l'école buissonnière et de passer la journée à la plage.
We decided to skip work (or school) and spend the day at the beach.