Back to school | “It’s a huge relief”

Families affected by the indefinite general strike of teachers of the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) since the end of November breathed a sigh of relief on Friday, the day after the agreement in principle approved by union delegates. But this return to school promises to be complex, given the delay to be made up for certain students who have missed several weeks of class.

“School…we’re coming!” », says in English the young Theodore, 12 years old, encountered with his family at the Complexe Desjardins on Friday. The fall was not easy for this teenager, who recently arrived in Quebec. Of American origin, the family previously lived in British Columbia.

Theodore and his little sister Alexandria, 9, had already missed a month of classes when they moved in October. They were in class in Montreal for a total of two weeks before having to stop due to the FAE’s indefinite general strike on November 23.

“The teachers were fantastic,” says their father, Wesley Riley, in the hubbub of the shopping center. The two children came home with notebooks and lessons to help them advance a little, especially in French.

Nevertheless, the announcement of the end of the strike was a “huge relief” for the family, assures Mr. Riley.

Is Alexandria looking forward to going back to school? “Yes, especially for math! », says the little girl.

Not everyone is of this opinion. At the entrance to a toy store, a few steps away, little Luca, 6 and a half years old, would have liked to take a few more days of “leave”.

” It is cool to stay at home,” he told The Press. Not to mention that he was able to go to a day camp in the last month. And even to a circus school!

At his side, his father Camilo does not have the same opinion. “Children need structure,” he maintains. And Luca, who is immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment due to his family’s Mexican origins, needs to practice his French, adds the father.

In other words, here too, the end of the strike is welcome.

Prepare for the return to class

The FAE announced Thursday evening that it had an agreement in principle after its delegates looked at the overall settlement proposal made the day before with the government.

The union had indicated since the beginning of its pressure tactics that the indefinite general strike would be lifted when such an agreement was reached. “The Federation has taken a new step today by qualifying this proposal as an agreement in principle and by putting an end to a strike which lasted 22 days,” confirmed the president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, Thursday evening .

The 66,500 teacher members of the FAE will be called upon to vote on this agreement in an assembly upon returning from the holiday break.

For Jesús Asunción, also met at Complexe Desjardins with his son Jesseydene, 9 years old, the end of the strike will make it possible to better plan the coming weeks. “We didn’t know if we should find him a new day camp,” explains the father.

But returning to class also means worry for some. This is the case of Nicolas Stoikovich, father of a 9-year-old boy in fourth grade.

“Concern especially regarding children who were already in difficulty, who received little support, and who risk suffering even more,” he wrote to us by email.

“I have the impression that this strike will create an even greater gap for students in difficulty, children from poorer families…” he added.

A concern shared by Sylvain Martel. “We end up with a multitude of cases. Some missed seven weeks of school, others, a dozen days, other students from private schools did not miss a single class,” worries the spokesperson for the Regroupement des committees de parents nationaux du Québec.

The return to class could highlight inequalities between students, sometimes within the same class, he explains in an interview with The Press.

Additionally, some parents continued homeschooling or even hired private tutors to catch up on academic delays caused by the strike. ” It’s not easy for everyone. »

“When we return in January, we will concentrate resources on students who need them,” assures Kathleen Legault, president of the Montreal Association of School Directors (AMDES).

The sooner school management receives instructions from the Ministry of Education for the rest of the school year, the more employees will be able to adapt, she adds.

She hopes that school principals will have more room to maneuver and more resources such as tutoring and increased budgets for help in class.

No change of calendar

It is unlikely that the school calendar will be modified to make up for the delay caused by the strike, according to Kathleen Legault.

Spring break, the date of which changes from one school to another, is agreed by agreement. It would therefore be surprising if this leave gave way to a week of teaching and catching up. There is also little chance that the educational days and the end date of classes will be changed. “I believe less in this solution,” says Sylvain Martel.

In his opinion, it will be necessary to use flexibility and creativity to make up for lost time. It may be a question of lightening the material to stick to the essentials.

It is especially at the level of evaluations that we must demonstrate fairness. “In the evaluation, it will be necessary to take into account that some will have seen less material than others,” continues Sylvain Martel.

The parents of students in difficulty who have missed classes will have to be partners in this, insists Sylvain Martel.

“The big challenge will be to re-motivate certain students. »