The start of the school year took place in a difficult context. Dilapidated establishments, lack of French language services, CEGEPs in poor condition or full to bursting point that are being subjected to drastic cuts and an increase in bullying are some of the problems that have recently made headlines.
Parents are worried, wondering whether the shortage of non-legally qualified teachers will trigger a succession of substitute teachers in their child’s class. We understand them.
It is less clear, however, what the plan focused on civics and discipline in schools proposed by the Legault government would change in the dark state of our education system; the problems are so much deeper!
Teaching in this context is difficult. Yet every day, with or without a certificate, young teachers do their best to be good teachers.
The first requirement: mastery of the material. From the very first class, the students start to observe us… What do they hope for? What is a good teacher in their eyes? Is it necessarily a flamboyant character who sees his class as a theater?
If so, then Yvon Rivard, the professor who had a profound impact on my studies, is an exception. Because he never tried to turn his famous creative writing seminars into fireworks. Rather, it was while sitting quietly, in a calm tone, that he introduced us to the thinking of Virginia Woolf or Peter Handke. However, I drank his words like water…
What do my new CEGEP students say?
Of course, they point out essential elements: mastered content and a strong passion for the subject taught, all with a touch of humor. In their eyes, a good teacher is also a fair and organized person, who knows how to transmit the pleasure of learning to his students.
Models of humanity. What comes back in the comments of the CEGEP students is surprising: they describe their favorite teachers as references on a human level. The letters that I asked them to write to a former teacher who made a mark are almost declarations of love! They express a deep gratitude and admiration that, once established, never leaves them.
For example, one student says she cried tears of joy when she happened to meet her sixth-grade teacher.
Another wrote: “You touched me because you cared about our personal training. Math was a medium that allowed you to transmit your values to us. That day, I saw myself in you. That day, I projected myself into the future. I would become a human like you: a strong, responsible and honest man.” We can clearly see here that the good teacher goes beyond the transmission of knowledge; he is a model of humanity.
Welcome and active listening. Then listening is emphasized. “The door to your classroom was always open. When something was wrong, you listened to us with patience and sensitivity. You made no judgments and you didn’t leave anyone behind,” writes one.
“In my group, I didn’t have any friends, so the days were tough. But you made it a point to talk to me before starting your class. It may seem trivial, but it made all the difference,” another confided.
Some testimonies, including this one, are moving: “You supported me when my father was at the end of his life. Thanks to you, I was able to empty my heart, free myself from the emotions that I was hiding from my dying father.”
The blossoming of full potential. Finally, for the hundred or so CEGEP students interviewed, a truly good teacher believes in the success of his students and sees in them what they do not see in themselves.
“You told me that you believed in me and that you had no fears for my future!” says a student.
“As I was about to drop out of school, you came to tell me that you had enjoyed teaching me and appreciated the time you spent helping me at lunch. You had seen my potential and you didn’t want it to go to waste,” says a science student.
“Thanks to the atmosphere you created, your class was a second home to us. Keep it up!” says another, unknowingly summarizing all the testimonies received through his analogy.
The first figure of the “real world”. In short, the professorial figure appears to constitute, in light of the comments collected, the first significant figure of the “real world”. That is to say, the professor often proves to be the very first person truly able to value the child’s talents outside the family circle.
It’s a demanding role, it’s heavy, and that’s certainly why Quebec teachers, tired of absorbing such an emotional burden, have been demanding for years that the number of students in their classes be reduced.