Q. You make a lot of observations about students’ mastery of French, but you don’t come up with any solutions. What are they ?
A. We are working on solutions, but we are not ready to make them public, because we want to take the time to ensure that they are the right ones. It’s a huge project, the French language in Quebec. The issue of written French dates back to before the pandemic and requires solutions that must be well thought out.
Of course, ensuring the mastery and learning of French should not be limited to French lessons or teachers. I would like it to be the business of the whole school team.
Would you like more hours of French teaching?
I didn’t get there. But if a student makes mistakes in French as part of an exercise in his history class, it seems to me that the teacher should pay attention. It shouldn’t be limited to just French lessons.
You mean penalize?
For me, it is inconceivable that we do an exercise in a subject, that we make mistakes and that nobody tells us. Must there necessarily be a sanction? We have come too far for the moment. But at the very least, that the student knows that in his work, there were mistakes in French. It must be noted, if we want it to be corrected later.
The CAQ promised during the election campaign to revise French teaching programs. Do you maintain this commitment?
We are working on it, I am not in a position to make an announcement, but the Legault government is used to respecting its commitments.
There is a lack of speech therapists, special education teachers. What is the plan for students in difficulty who do not have a service, if not let them drift from year to year?
The plan is to deal with it. This is one of the reasons, if not the first, for which I propose aids to the class. I want the classroom aids to allow teachers to take care of the whole class, but I also want, by adding this second adult, to pay more attention to the needs of the students. with special needs.
Who will this adult be?
I gave the example of daycare educators, who have cut schedules. They could, between morning and noon, go to classes and lend a hand to the teachers.
Do you think this will be enough for students in difficulty?
I don’t know if it will be enough, but it will certainly be a very precious help, which will benefit both teachers and students, especially those with special needs. If we had a class aid that could help a student with learning difficulties to do his exercise, I think that would help him and it would allow the teacher to continue giving his lesson for the rest of the group.
In all cases, we find ourselves in a class context that is much more peaceful, calm, and less prone to upheavals.
Are you going to ask the private network to take on more struggling students?
I’ve had discussions with the private network on this, it’s part of the work we’re doing. I asked private institutions how they could do more.
What is the “fast track” to the teaching certificate you offer?
It will be similar to what existed before, that is to say the certificate in pedagogy of 30 credits. Will it be exactly that? Probably not, because we’ve come a long way since then. But one thing is certain, it will not be 60 credits. It’s way too long and way too heavy.
How soon do you plan to implement this program?
As quickly as possible.
That is to say ? There is a rush, there is a shortage.
Yes, it’s pressing. As quickly as possible.
What do you mean by transparency in the school network?
I would like us to operate as a network, for there to be real communication between the Department and the school service centres, and between the school service centers and the schools. Information and data need to circulate and we need to know what is going on.
My intention is to have a dashboard with a certain number of indicators for each school service centre, so that we know where there are the most difficulties, in such a sector, at such a level, to such course. There is a lot of work to do. We start from very, very far in the school network in terms of computers and access to data.
In times of shortage, are you staying the course on opening 4-year-old kindergartens?
We are keeping our sights set on the target of 2,600 4-year-old kindergarten classes to ensure that the service is universal. Currently, we have around 1600, there has been a good growth in recent years.
Even if there is a lack of teachers and space?
We stay the course. It’s still important, we know that we have to act early, that it’s good for the development of the child and that in the long term, it’s good for our school graduation and our perseverance.
The interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.