Valuing the teaching profession: Teachers… a commodity increasingly rare!

Photo Chantal Poirier
François Bellefeuille

François Bellefeuille, special Collaboration

Saturday, 20 January, 2018 05:00

UPDATE
Saturday, 20 January, 2018 05:00

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The minister of Education, Mr. Sébastien Proulx, denounces, and rightly, the replacements to repeat that course in a kindergarten classroom, the CSDM. More than nine teachers in different eras beginning of the school year. Sad reality for children who are preparing for their entry to primary school.

Mr. Proulx, let me mention that this appalling situation is, unfortunately, a part of our reality for a few years and that the shortage of substitutes in our schools is becoming more and more blatant. Task is too heavy ! Obviously, the lack overall of the teachers at the québec-wide scale certainly doesn’t help the cause.

Valuation of the teachers

This reality raises, among other things, one more question in addition to this, the promotion of teachers in public space. And this valuation does certainly not only by the mere fact of stress, in words, the importance of our profession. Let me remind you that the passion and the vocation unfortunately have their limits.

Let’s be serious, if we hope that this profession finds its letters of nobility to attract the best talent in our universities in quebec, it will have to be addressed one day to the thorny question of the salary of our teachers. This is certainly not with a base salary very questionable that we will attract the best candidates. After all, their salary should he not be representative of the importance attached to education and especially to the height of the work request ?

Force is to admit that if we continue to close our eyes to this reality, many students will continue to abandon the faculties of education. According to several professors working in faculties of education, the exodus is already being felt even before the reports have finished his university studies.

Disturbing reality

So that this situation does not persist, it is necessary to act quickly, because this profession has unfortunately less and less popular with young academics aware of the mammoth task that awaits them at the end of their bachelor’s degree.

Still need to remember that more than 25% of new teachers leave the profession before they have completed their first five years in teaching. Statistics worrying ! A choice of society is necessary if we want our children to receive an education at the height of their value ! Education should not be the cornerstone of a society that respects ?

François Bellefeuille is a teacher in the fifth year of primary school for 25 years.