We are future teachers, education students at the University of Sherbrooke. We are the “help” hoped for in schools. We will be the teachers of tomorrow. Each quarter, our cohorts arrive motivated and engaged in their new internship environments and we fully invest in joining our future colleagues in the education sector.
We know the education system well. We were among the children who directly or indirectly suffered the repercussions of the three-tier education system. We evolved in the most unequal system in the country, like the thousands of children of new generations.
Already as interns, we see the repercussions of political inaction. We meet students from various backgrounds; children from private, vocational and regular programs. Depending on the status of the students, they receive differentiated treatment from the institution. In the private sector, students are carefully chosen according to their cognitive skills. Furthermore, those who do not have the means to pay the enormous amounts of such education simply cannot hope to benefit from it. These children are systematically excluded.
To the public, we offer programs aimed at high-achieving children. Obviously, a generous monetary contribution is required. The other students, who are unable to join one of the two options, end up in regular classes, in “ordinary” classes. In these classes, failures, learning difficulties and behavioral problems are over-represented.
In 1964 the Parent report was released. In this report, we collectively imagined an egalitarian education system. Economic status no longer became a barrier. Education was institutionalized for all. However, unequal relationships in the education system have never been more visible than today. It is money that dictates the place and status of children.
Disillusionment
In addition to classifying children according to their family income, our education system contributes to breaking the connections between students. They are isolated in separate classes. We break the possible relationships between them. We are dislocating the very foundations of school. The lack of social diversity between students leads to daily violence observable in our internship environments: distinct clans, intimidation, insults, etc. Our education system is creating an ever-widening gap between children every day.
Teachers find themselves faced with a choice: a class of “good” or “bad” students. Considering the magnitude of a typical teacher’s workload, who wouldn’t choose the first option? In a context of labor shortage, the new tasks offered to graduates are arduous, complex and undermine the commitment of new professionals. In such circumstances, it is not surprising to observe massive disillusionment among new graduates.
We collectively sign this letter to avoid teaching in an education system that systematically disqualifies a portion of students. We do not want to explain to our future students why they are excluded from extracurricular activities. We do not want to see children with immense potential confined to “ordinary” classes. We want to avoid witnessing, once again, the social violence experienced by students.
We ask Bernard Drainville to assume his responsibilities. We demand reform and collective reflection on the future of education. We want to witness the birth of a new education system that is fair, equitable and accessible for all.
*Co-signed this letter: Benjamin Lalonde; Vik Daoust Proietti; Christopher Lortie; Justin Allaire; Kasandra Boucher; Mindy Chabot; Kathy Poirier; Stéphanie Lanctôt; Tamie Malenfant; Meghan Vinet-Richer; Megan Bergeron; Lea McCollough; Arianne Guay; Justine Lussier; Marie-Pier Deacon; Amélie Ouellet-Tremblay; Marilou Couture; Sabrina Provencher; Mindy Chabot; Pénélope Poirier; Olivier Provost; Mireille Fortin; Maxime Coutu; Sabrina Laplante; Raphaëlle Cypihot-Tremblay; Luis Canizalez; Camila Lopez Hincapie; Nicola Bertolini; Hosea Blais.