I have been in the world of music education for ten years now. Sixteen if we count my experiences before obtaining my certificate. I have taught full-time, part-time and as a substitute. I have taught in public schools, private schools and in special programs. I have taught in privileged and disadvantaged environments, in culturally diverse and more homogeneous environments. I have taught mainly in cities and suburbs, but I have had some experience in rural areas.
I taught in the cadet program, where the young people address me formally, call me “Captain Loignon” and wear a uniform. Discipline is quite strict, but I was lucky enough to spend time with the young people intensively over several weeks or an entire year. I encountered very few problems with civics. On the other hand, the young people who had problems ended up leaving the program, as the setting did not suit them, which is impossible for compulsory school.
I taught in programs where I was in contact with young people almost once a day. The students addressed me informally (some even called me “FO”) and they didn’t wear uniforms. I had few problems with civility with these students.
I taught in regular programs, where I saw my students four times a week. Some wore uniforms, others didn’t. Some had to address me formally, others didn’t. The problems of lack of civility were notably more frequent there than in the cadet program or in programs where I saw my students almost every day. In the majority of cases, it was managed well, but some cases could end up spoiling the group, most of the time for reasons that I will explain later.
I taught the regular class once a week (two classes per cycle). All the students addressed me formally. Some wore a uniform, others didn’t. In most of these groups, problems with civics were frequent and recurring. I rarely had all my students in class. I had almost as many classes where I had to expel a student as classes where I kept them all in class. There was a lot of undone homework and the group average was often very low. In some cases, I spent more time managing the classroom than teaching.
In most of these groups, it wasn’t the uniform or the formal address that encouraged civility and respect. It was the time I had to build a meaningful connection with my students. It was the relationship I could build with them, through which I not only taught them to respect my expectations and guidelines, but I learned about theirs.
Want to help teachers combat civility and respect issues? Take the load off them and give them time. Fewer students and groups per teacher, and more time to get to know them. Less work to correct and more time to follow up on different students. More time for teachers to consult and understand the needs of learners. More time to plan lessons that involve students directly in their learning and avoid lectures. More time to put students at the heart of teaching.
Far be it from me to bury my head in the sand and deny the problems of civics and violence in schools. I come into contact with the latter and fight against it every day that I teach.
But this is not the result of what we are led to believe. By giving more time and resources to teachers, you will help them not only to provide better teaching, but also to create those bonds that help reduce the lack of civility and respect.
You know how you can contribute to this as well? By having an introspection on the role of parents. I have rarely had a problem of civility or respect with a student that I was unable to resolve. On the other hand, in the case where the problem persisted, I also had difficulty having the support of the parent.
Like the parent who told me that my subject matter was of little importance to him and therefore he didn’t care about his child’s problems in my classes. Or the parent who told me that he didn’t have to expose his child to consequences at home for discipline problems at school, which I had to deal with. Or the parent who justified his child’s behavior and ordered me not to subject him to consequences in an email signed “PhD.” Or the parent who came to my office himself at lunchtime to take back the cell phone that I had confiscated from his child, yelling at me in the process. Or the parent who expressly told me that my subject was doomed to die (I was teaching ECR) and therefore that his daughter didn’t really have to make an effort in it.
There is also this parent who wrote to my principal to accuse me of picking on his child because I took him out of class every time he insulted me or did not follow my instructions. Or this parent who also wrote to my principal to complain that I was constantly threatening his child, who did not submit his work, to give him a zero and say that he did not attach any educational value to my teaching and my evaluation since he knew his child’s potential. Or this parent who waited for me in front of the school where I was a substitute teacher to talk to me about my message on his son’s behavior while looking me in the eye.
And so on.
Do you want to promote civic-mindedness, discipline and respect in schools? It won’t happen through simplistic measures and promises of sanctions. It won’t happen with a prime minister who jumps at the chance to play the “good father,” the absent father who decides to put his fist on the table when he realizes that his children no longer esteem him and do not give him the respect he feels he is owed.
This will happen by giving teachers the time, resources and tools to connect with their students. It will happen by having a discussion and reflection on the role of parents in schools. And it will happen when schools return to the centre of our societal priorities rather than just being the place that has to take care of our children from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.