A College of teachers that would create the bickering

Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin
Sylvain Mallette, who represents more than 34,000 teachers, notes that teachers want to improve themselves, but are, instead, the school boards who are struggling to release them for training, because of the shortage of staff.

Dominique Scali

Monday, march 5, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Monday, march 5, 2018 01:00

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Create a College of teachers would not help at all to burnish the image of teachers, resent the unions to this idea launched by the minister of Education last week and that divides the experts.

“What is the message ? That one is not good ? The minister is not aware of the harshness of its proposals, ” growls Sylvain Mallette, president of the autonomous Federation of education.

In a book released last Tuesday, the minister Sébastien Proulx is proposing to create a college of teachers in order to enhance the status of the profession, an idea which is also in favor of the Coalition avenir Québec.

Such an order would have for mission to protect the public. It would allow for parents who wish to report the incompetence or misconduct of professors to do so without going through their school board, in a context where few teachers are dismissed.

However, teachers do not want anything to pay membership fees to an order which would add bureaucracy to the system, ” said Josée Scalabrini, president of the Federation of trade unions of education.

“Epic battle “

Even the parents are warm, according to the Federation of parents ‘ committees. During a consultation carried out in 2016, only half is said to be for the idea.

“The public does not need to be protected from teachers […] These are the teachers who need to be protected from the cuts of funds,” wrote a parent in the context of the coup probe.

The four experts consulted by The Newspaper are also shared. According to Aegis Royer, a professor at the Université Laval, an order is ” essential “, in particular to ensure that teachers continue to develop themselves throughout their career.

But according to Maurice Tardif, professor at the University of Montreal, the professional orders that work the best are those that emanate from the will of the workers themselves. Those that are imposed by a government, and give rise to tensions, as is the case in Ontario (see another text).

“It is sure that there would be a conflict [between the trade unions and the order]. It would lead to an epic battle, he believes. If the minister wanted to act smart, he would consult the teachers in a survey, bypassing the unions. “

Salaries and support

They point out that other avenues would be effective to enhance the status of the profession, such as raising salaries and offering support to young teachers who leave the university.

Psychoeducators, them, have, however, gained credibility since they have an order, note in the president, Denis Leclerc, who has not spoken in favour of a College of teachers, but said he “was in favour of reflection” suggested by the minister.

What is a professional ?

Its mission

To protect the public.

Some of his roles

• Oversee the academic training and continues.
• See to the respect of ethical rules.
• Collect complaints.
• To reprimand, suspend, delist.

Teachers fired or suspended

The CSDM (Montreal) in 2016-2017

• Dismissals : 3
• Suspensions : 20
• Total number of teachers : more than 8200

The CSDPS (Quebec city region) between 2013 and 2017

• Dismissal : 2
• Suspensions : 8
• Total number of teachers : more than 2300

Few teachers fired or suspended

Photo Martin Alarie

Maurice Tardif

Professor, University of Montreal

About inadequate, act of a sexual nature, fraud. The list of misconduct possible may be long, few teachers are fired or suspended every year.

Only three teachers have been laid off as of 2016-2017 to the Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), the largest in Quebec.

The Newspaper has asked for these figures to twenty school boards. Of the seven that provided data, five had not laid off any teachers during the year. According to Guy Bourgeault, professor, University of Montreal, some principals will sometimes tolerate the lack of jurisdiction to avoid the complications of the procedures of dismissal.

Following a incident, a teacher will sometimes be transferred to another school. “But it doesn’t make him a better teacher,” he says.

Resignations

If the terminations are not many, this is mostly because many teachers referred to agree to resign, explains Sylvain Mallette of the FAE. In severe cases, when a folder is mounted, the employer does so very well to return the teacher, ” he said.

At the Commission scolaire des Premieres-Seigneuries (CSDPS), in the region of Quebec, a teacher was fired for “malfeasance,” and another for ” act of a sexual nature “. Those who have been punished for being presented to work under the influence of alcohol have been suspended for four days on average.

Ammo ?

A college of teachers would he give ammunition to the school boards that are willing to put in the door the “bad apples” ? Maurice Tardif of the University of Montreal doesn’t believe it. “The trade unions will fight to the death for a school board maintains a teacher-offending, even if an order has been reprimanded. “

In Ontario, only 15 people have had their teaching license revoked in 2016 by the College of teachers, which a total of 243 000 members.

►With more than 100 000 teachers, a college in Quebec would be the largest of the province, according to the Office of the professions.

More voices for the “parents-kings” ?

Photo courtesy

Remi Sabourin

AEFO

Of the ontario teachers complain that their order to get publicity, which has led to an increase in the number of complaints from the public, including complaints of exaggerated ” parents-kings “.

A teacher who has not celebrated Halloween a year has already been the subject of a complaint from a parent unhappy, shows Gabrielle Barkany, communications officer for the College of teachers of Ontario.

“This has an impact on the teachers, especially when the complaints are outlandish,” notes Rémi Sabourin, president of the Association des enseignants franco-ontariens.

The Order does not have figures showing that the public complaints are less valid than those from a school board or a teacher. But Mrs. Barkany confirms that some requests are so far from their mandate that they are just transferred to the school without an investigation.

The investigations that lead to reprimands reveal, on the contrary, the serious behaviours of some teachers, including many cases of sexual misconduct with students.

Mr. Sabourin critical, all the same, the duplication of the disciplinary process. Often, the school commissioner and the Order each do their investigation and issue sanctions for the respective. “It adds a heaviness and incredible stress,” he says.

Promotion

Founded in 1996, the College of teachers of Ontario has invested $ 1 million in promotion to make themselves known, a few years ago, which has led to a surge in the number of complaints.

According to Mrs. Barkany, this promotion was necessary and was a result of the recommendations of the report of a judge. For his part, Mr. Sabourin believes that advertising should not be part of the roles of the organization.

These disagreements illustrate the tension that often exists between the members and their order when it was imposed, believes Maurice Tardif of the Université de Montréal.

Rebuked by the order in Ontario

He wants “a relationship” with a student

During the year 2011-2012, Leo Edward Montgomery has exchanged personal emails with a student who he saw outside of the school. After having taken her to the cinema one evening, he paid for the alcohol. He would have already confessed to looking forward that it’s no longer his student to ” have a relationship “. This last has changed schools before the end of the year. The teacher has been suspended for 16 months in a judgement delivered in January.

He touches his students in the classroom

David Norman Shackleton had a tendency to be too touch with his students. In 2011, he has been seen with students sitting on his lap during watching videos. In 2015, girls reported having been touched inappropriately, particularly on the shoulders and at the waist. For example, he would put his hand under the shirt of a student and he would have rubbed the back. He has been suspended for two months in a judgement delivered in January.

She is doing ” somersaults “

In 2015, Leanora Brown has treated students of the ” racaille blanche “, and other ” misfires “. She also talked about her sex life and showed his students how much she was flexible in doing somersaults and putting its legs over the head instead of teaching the French curriculum “. In a judgement delivered in may, it requires him to complete a course on professional boundaries.

It deals with the students ” morons “

During the course, in 2013, Paul Szabo has banged her fist on a desk and ripped out of the pages of a book. He treated the students “morons” and ” assholes “. In a judgement delivered in August, it requires him to attend a course on anger management.