At the end of the school year, when the labor shortage occupied everyone’s minds, in almost all sectors of activity, the Government of Quebec launched an advertising campaign to recruit teachers. The “I answer now” campaign seeks to attract people with disciplinary baccalaureates – even if they have no training in didactics and pedagogy – in order to fill vacant positions.
Posted yesterday at 9:00 a.m.
Obviously, this solution will not solve the problem at the source and represents at best a temporary remedy. Above all, I hope that the CAQ and François Legault will develop more comprehensive solutions that they could present during the fall election campaign and that the next Quebec government (whether CAQ member or of another allegiance) will a real reflection on the future of the teaching profession.
With 11 years of experience, I can at least present some observations on the problems that exist and some solutions which — I dare to believe — would allow us to think outside the box.
Before talking about a labor shortage, it is important to note that many teachers who would like to work full time are unable to obtain a 100% position due to a lack of supply or, in many cases, because of administrative blockages that do not allow the matching of certain positions.
Before hiring new people, consider those who are already employed. This contributes to the next problem, which is that of retention.
For many years we have heard that 20-25% of teachers leave the profession within their first five years. This is of course due to the demanding working conditions. We can think of overcrowded classes or precariousness.
The fact remains that we must above all rethink recruitment. Quebec society must seriously question the role and function of teachers and try to recruit the best candidates. I am fortunate to be surrounded by many smart and talented people in my social circles. They studied law, engineering, sociology, journalism, computer science, biochemistry. They are now working in these fields. Unfortunately, a career in teaching did not seem to them an attractive choice. In other cases, they want to engage in teaching later in life, but face a long and daunting path, despite having more than relevant training and experience.
A new design
We must attract these candidates and remember that the teaching profession represents an intellectual profession where we are not only class managers. Above all, we need a new conception of education. You have to go beyond generalities. We can’t just fall back on beautiful formulations by recalling that we are training the young people of the future.
Whether we think of the digital revolution, climate change or the aging of the population, the challenges of our present require that we train young people to think, reflect and innovate. We cannot just teach technical skills, but we must transmit a culture in order to approach the world to find meaning in it.
I propose to broaden the criteria for access to the teaching profession. Admittedly, the bachelor’s degree in education remains a viable option, but the profession must be open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree and not just subject-specific bachelor’s degrees (some will certainly have master’s degrees as well).
At present, a French teacher must be trained in literature, he will not be recognized for a disciplinary training in communication, journalism or philosophy. A social universe teacher must be trained in geography or history; university courses in political science, economics or other human sciences disciplines are not recognised. It remains that the knowledge that we teach has not all been acquired within the framework of our university training. A diploma represents a guarantee of competence, it is proof that we have a certain method, discipline and rigour. We can therefore easily acquire the knowledge that we are asked to teach and the principals will be able to continue to ensure the competence and skills of future teachers during job interviews.
Anyone with a bachelor’s degree and teaching experience should be able to obtain a patent through a qualifying master’s degree. This 60-credit program, which is currently done in four years (or more), deserves to be condensed and could be done in two years. I don’t know of any other academic discipline where there are four-year master’s degrees.
Finally, my suggestions should confront the ideas of many other actors in the world of education. We have essentially spent the last 20 years implementing what is commonly called educational reform or renewal. The system is ripe for the next big reflection on the teaching profession as well as training, recruitment and retention. See you at the next parent commission!