After the tough week that has just passed for the teaching profession, The duty wanted to take the pulse of female education students who are about to enter the job market. The four students consulted say they remain enthusiastic about their future profession, but not without some apprehension.
The recordings of a teacher screaming at the head of her students which were broadcast in the last week shocked Quebec. They were condemned by the entire political class, including the Premier, François Legault, and the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville.
While these revelations have of course raised concerns about the psychological consequences on the students who are victims of this verbal abuse, several questions related to the profession have also emerged. The lack of psychological support offered to teachers and the prospect of being recorded by students while giving a lesson surfaced.
“I am aware of my actions, I know that I would never yell at a student,” says Audréanne Hupé, bachelor’s degree student in preschool and primary education, who has just completed her first year of study at the University of Montreal. “What worries me is being filmed without my knowledge. If I have a less well-developed relationship with a student and I do my class management assignment, will he film me without my knowledge? »
Earlier in the week, two Liberal MPs encouraged students to speak out “in any way possible” against teachers who allegedly use brutality in the classroom. The party’s Liberal education spokesperson, Marwah Rizqy, later corrected the situation by clarifying the comments of her colleagues.
“I’m not afraid for my future job”, however Audréanne decides. But among her apprehensions is the psychological support offered to teachers, which she considers insufficient. “In schools, there is no psychologist for teachers. I had a few more difficult experiences in substitute work and I didn’t have any “then, how did it go”? “, she regrets.
The student remains confident despite everything. “I would tell future teachers not to stop there. If we want to change things, we can work to do so. »
Field Support
Loryane Fontaine admits it: she was “not surprised” when she read the articles about teachers who slipped up in class. “I did two internships, and I saw how often there are classes with students who have major learning or behavioral problems, and the teachers are not always equipped to manage these problems. young people,” she says. “It can take a teacher to the end of the rope pretty quickly, especially if there is no support from management or parents. »
For this student, who is entering her third year of study for a bachelor’s degree in teaching French as a second language at the University of Quebec in Montreal, more support in the field is necessary. “There was a lot of talk about the adults around not noticing [les cris de l’enseignante], but a teacher already has a lot of students in his hands. Supervising other classes is one more task on his shoulders. »
For Marie-Claude Beaulieu, who is entering her second year of studies for a bachelor’s degree in preschool and elementary education at the Université de Montréal, the key to helping teachers lies in support in the field.
“It’s difficult when you’re a teacher and you don’t have any resources. You know that your coco, if he doesn’t have an assigned special education technician, he will continue to have behavioral problems”, notes the one who, at the dawn of her 40th birthday, decided to redirect her career in teaching. “Some people told me I was crazy doing this,” she says, a smile in her voice.
Building the school of tomorrow
Léa Tremblay-Pierre also apprehends certain elements of her early career. “I’m going to start my career with both feet in a completely weakened system and in an environment where the trust of parents and students will be difficult to gain,” she says without complacency.
But the young woman, who is entering her fourth year of a bachelor’s degree in education in primary school and social adaptation at the University of Quebec in Montreal, sees her profession with enthusiasm, as do the three other students interviewed. “I feel like clinging to the fact that the education system needs a lot of change, and I think it’s great to start my career in this system where we can put our color. »
By evoking her colleagues and sisters who are preparing to invest the profession them and they too, she remains hopeful. “I dare to believe that we will be able to work together to build a school of tomorrow that is more like our society today. Me, I cling to that. »