Children of my time were not always restful. Heads full of bad moves, mischievous at school, turbulent at play, they were simply children. But when a person in authority intervened, a limit was drawn.
I am sometimes stunned when I hear testimonies about what is currently happening among young people, particularly in the school world. We go well beyond the notion of the young tough guy or the little scruffy guy.
We would think we are dealing with children who are not educated, who have no respect for anything or anyone and who care nothing about authority. They look like children who think they are Louis XIV or Kim Jong-un, who think that their whims should become the law.
In short, we unfortunately seem like children whose parents never dared to firmly outline what life in society requires.
School bus
This week, I was blown away by the story of Hélène, this school bus driver from Lanaudière who experienced trauma. She wanted to intervene with a child who had bullied another child all along the trip.
- Listen to the interview with Daniel Jutras, rector of the University of Montreal, on the microphone of Mario Dumont, via QUB:
The fifth grade boy (10 years old) immediately lunged at her, punching her. He ended up shoving her before leaving the scene. Implausible.
In the case of the driver, the instructions are clear. She has no right to do anything. She cannot take the child by the arm, control him, or pull him by the coat. She can only give him a “ticket” which could lead to consequences at school.
It should be noted that in this specific case, the school imposed suspension days and the parent demanded that their child apologize. This is good, knowing that in other cases, drivers say they suffer the wrath of parents who defend their problematic child.
Not an isolated case
Unfortunately, the unthinkable attack on Hélène is not an isolated case. Spokespersons for school bus drivers are concerned about the increase in acts of violence and are calling for help. Beatings, spitting, threats, these are realities with which they must deal in 2024.
We are at the point where insults about their physical appearance or insults containing animal names are no longer even considered. What is clearly a blatant lack of respect has become part of everyday life. The cases of drivers who end up on the CNESST are on the rise according to a union.
These cases of work accidents caused by youth violence have also exploded among teachers.
Authority
On the school bus, the authority is the driver. In the classroom, it’s the teacher. At the swimming pool, he’s the supervisor. The child must learn young that he is not the boss everywhere. Obviously, it’s more difficult if he’s the one driving home…