“Guys, if you’re crying or have something to say about how our class works, be sure to bring some solutions. This is what I have been telling my students since I became a teacher. In this way, I develop their critical thinking and, above all, I try to make them aware of the repercussions of their choices by instilling in them a sense of responsibility. In other words, the boots must follow the chops.
Facing a shortage of staff is not desirable, regardless of the establishment. On the other hand, if the latter hits a potato chip factory, we can simply stop eating it until the situation subsides. What happens when teachers are scarce? Can we pause the education of future generations? Obviously not.
Universities are supposed to lead the way, not wait for ministerial directives to get things done and innovate. Unfortunately, to counter the shortage, some of them have preferred to create a qualifying master’s degree which does not take into account the work experience acquired in a class as a non-legally qualified teacher. At the same time, another establishment is going to offer this teacher a part-time bachelor’s degree lasting six years which will never end, another great way to contribute to the desertion of the profession!
Did you know that a person who makes a career change and who already has a bachelor’s degree often has what is called a family and financial obligations? It is to these people that these programs are intended, and not to those who come out of CEGEP. I see a total disconnect between those who criticize the new TELUQ program, which is better suited to the reality of these teachers, and the school environment in general.
We agree that our students deserve better, but wouldn’t it have been important, first of all, to train the teachers properly so that they don’t leave this environment in such large numbers during training or in the first five years of their exercise? To also adapt the program to the new realities which mean that today there are several classes without a teacher?
Do you know the repercussions that affect a child when his teacher leaves after a few months and substitutes follow one another? Is the visual arts course offered in the university program so useful when juggling overcrowded classrooms and increasingly present students with learning disabilities? Especially since several schools already have a specialist who gives the visual arts course…
It is not the new programs that have trained the teachers who are leaving the profession in large numbers. These are the ones that the universities stand for. If a business leader came to the same conclusion regarding his training program for his new employees, he would ask questions. Could it be that the current program is no longer compatible with the realities on the ground? Does the program promote conditions conducive to learning and success for all? Obviously not!
Teachers who are not legally qualified are not uneducated. On the contrary, these people come from different backgrounds and have much to contribute to this deficient system. Do you think the traditional curriculum’s 45-hour social studies course makes everyone history experts capable of teaching grades one through six?
The social universe, ethics and religious culture and science are often the subjects that pass at the end in the planning. Helping a student to read well, write well and understand the basic principles of mathematics comes before these subjects. Do I really need to say more about the level of French of our young people? Once again, it is not the new programs that have trained teachers of young people who struggle to read a somewhat complex text.
Do you think it’s all the moms and dads who have been to the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec to learn how to cook? What could be nicer than a family dinner around mom and dad’s special meal, though! This is what the school should embody, the spirit of the Sunday evening supper so comforting before the blues of returning to work.
Very often, what is seen in general training does not reflect the reality on the ground, where the experience is worth its weight in gold. I don’t think it’s relevant to compare the teachers who will graduate from this new program to the Émilie Bordeleau who shaped the Quebec of the Quiet Revolution and educated several generations. It’s very simplistic for these women and it’s also very simplistic for all those people who, like me, have made the decision to change careers to respond to the shortage.
“Friends, you are right that we need to work together to find solutions. Let’s first stop the bleeding and ask ourselves the real questions so that our children never experience these situations again. Now pack your bag, and don’t forget, boots should follow your lips. »