Troubleshooting made compulsory in school

Photo Dominic Scali
Chantal Lauzon (left), Claudine Malouin (centre) and Julie Fournier (right) working in three different schools in the region of Vaudreuil-Dorion. They have preferred silence in the name of their school to do no harm to their students.

Dominique Scali

Friday, 9 march 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Friday, 9 march 2018 01:00

Look at this article

Being less well prepared, children stressed by the succession of replacements, extra work. Teachers who are regularly required to do the “troubleshooting required” to offset the shortage of teachers in addition to manage their own class are launching a cry of alarm.

Almost every morning, Claudine Malouin is crossing fingers when she enters school.

“It is not necessary that there has to be a troubleshooting mandatory today. Must not, must not, must not, ” she repeats.

Three female teachers in primary school of the Commission scolaire des Trois-Lacs, which covers, in particular, Vaudreuil-Dorion, in Montérégie, have agreed to testify to the lack of staff who force the teachers to do extra time and keeps them in a vicious circle of exhaustion.

This shortage is reflected not only by difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers, but also deputies, explains Josée Scalabrini, of the Federation of trade unions of education, which represents more than 65,000 teachers across the province.

“The banks of alternates are empty. This year, it is worse than ever. We receive calls from everywhere : Gaspésie, Lanaudière, etc “

No alternates

So it can happen that a school has not found anyone to provide a last-minute replacement and turns to the regular teachers to perform ” troubleshooting “. These are going to replace it as their own students follow courses in physical education or music, for example.

Teachers therefore need to chip away in the time that is used to plan their lessons, correcting, calling parents, or meeting with the professionals of the school.

The teachers interviewed may be used to bring work home, the work load outside of school increases.

“My children, my spouse, all the world scoop,” says Julie Fournier.

The troubleshooting system was once used in an exceptional way. “But here, it is everyday life,” she remarks.

A school in the Montérégie even had to resort to this solution for more than a day on three between October and February, shows a document obtained by The Newspaper.

“It is as I plan lessons according to the troubleshooting. I’m going to predict something that requires less planning, I can quickly arrange, instead of choosing the most educational for my students “, says Julie Fournier.

Embarrassed to be sick

The three teachers admit that they feel guilty that they are able to not always give the best to their students due to lack of time.

The feeling of guilt does not stop there : the teachers who get sick if in want also, knowing the stress that they cause to their colleagues.

“There are some who are embarrassed to take leave, will apologize on the social networks. Some will wait until you have a medical diagnosis “, abounds the prof Chantal Lauzon.

They do not want their management or their school board. “We see that they are trying things, but the problem is above them,” notes Ms. Malouin.

Up to five teachers per day

Students who find themselves without a substitute for a full day can see five different teachers in their classroom, which “disorganized” and anxious about some of the young people of the primary.

“There was one in my class who cried all the day [when there are troubleshooting],” wrote a teacher in a survey conducted last year by the trade Union of education of the region of Vaudreuil.

When a teacher is sick, a substitute comes, in principle, to replace it for the entire day, which includes five periods, ” explains Véronique Lefebvre, president of the union.

If there is no alternate available, the teachers of the school, therefore, must “play fireman” and relay for each period, which creates great instability for the children.

Special needs

Students who have special needs are particularly disadvantaged, ” commented prof Julie Fournier. These young people often have a response plan that details the measures to be put in place to give them a boost, but the teachers that arrive in a disaster to troubleshoot do not have the time to take ownership.

“All these measures take the edge,” said Ms. Fournier. And when the teacher returns in its own class without having had time to prepare due course of troubleshooting, these are also students who écopent.

For the three teachers interviewed, there is no doubt that the shortage of staff is beginning to have an impact on the quality of teaching.

Chantal Lauzon remembers a committee that included three teachers and a guidance counselor at her school to improve the education in mathematics. The meeting has been postponed many times, teachers are unable to free themselves because of the shortage.

Child care Service

In some cases, these are the educators of the day care service or the supervisors dinner, which took care of the class orphan.

“It is necessary to rethink the school to hire supervisors in case of absence of the teacher ? Send the students home ? says Véronique Lefebvre. It does what ? “

In the short term, it believes that the Commission scolaire des Trois-Lacs may be less selective in the choice of teachers. For example, the organization only hires graduates who have had 80 % as a note to their French exam, while most of the other boards accept those who have had 70 %, ” she says.

In the long term, the upgrading of the profession must pass through a greater autonomy and consideration of teachers, believes Josée Scalabrini of the Federation of trade unions of education.

“We don’t want to be performers who are parachuted revenue miracles that sometimes does not even apply not to our environment. “

She also asks for a better support of young people who come out of the university and teachers in general, which have more students difficult in their class than before.

The Commission scolaire des Trois-Lacs has not returned the calls from the Log.

In the same boat as nurses ?

Teachers are concerned that the shortage leads to more exhaustion and thus creates a “vicious circle” similar to those experienced by the nurses in the health care environment.

“Not only is there a lack of succession, but we fall in illness. We always asks for more, but we are still human, ” said teacher Julie Fournier.

The more they are exhausted, they are more likely to leave the profession or to drop off work, which depletes all the more those that remain, and the worse the shortage, explain the professors.

A situation that reminds them of the experiences of the nurses, who must do a lot of extra hours against their will.

“That, that is coming in the middle of the education,” says Véronique Lefebvre, of the trade Union of education of the region of Vaudreuil, which provides that the shortage will become worse in the coming years.

“We are hiring “

According to the minister of Education, Sébastien Proulx, the school environment has long been unattractive because of the precariousness of their situation, graduates may wait years before having a position. This reality is changing, ” he said.

File Photo, Simon Clark

Sébastien Proulx, minister of Education

“We must send the message that we are hiring in education. There is not a public service where we hire as much at this time. “

In a book published last week, the minister said, also want to restore the reputation of the profession, including increasing the requirements for teachers to complete a diploma of second-cycle university.

Development

However, many teachers fear that this measure exacerbates the shortage.

“It is ironic. It wants to increase the training, but the teachers are not even able to attend the professional development offered to them already “, said Ms. Lefebvre. Because for it to be released, a teacher must be replaced, which is often impossible.

Teachers are emptying the heart

Excerpts from a survey conducted in 2017 on troubleshooting required in the primary schools of the Commission scolaire des Trois-Lacs :

“Since I know that there will be no substitute, I go to work even when I’m sick [such as pneumonia]. “

“Some students have strong reactions : “Yet another person ? Is it that you stay until the end ?” “

“We forced him to stay in spite of the fever, and the gastro. “

“Sense to plug a hole, of babysitting at a time when I’m behind schedule on my other tasks to do. “

“Everyone is on the lookout for that may well be absent. We feel that it can happen at any time. “