Clair2014: an entire community mobilizing for its children

(Second of 2 parts) On January 30, 31 and February 1, the 5^e edition of Clair2014 international conference, New Brunswick. A participant brings it to us from the inside.

A record number of teachers, education professionals and managers have visited the small village of Clair, near Edmundston, New Brunswick, to see how it is possible to experience school differently with the help of technologies, but also the support of an entire community that believes in the potential of its children.

(continuation of yesterday ...)

After an on-site buffet, participants return to the conference room not to sit down, but to dance well with the charming Nancy Brousseau, Executive Director of the Federation of Private Educational Institutions (FÉEP) of Quebec, who knew “ wake up his world ”before transporting him in his School for tomorrow, today. A very pleasant interlude was then offered by the Triplettes, a group of three talented young singers who studied at the CAHM. Then, Stéphane Allaire, dean of research and creation at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, continued with his conference Some gaps in educational research.

The afternoon ends with the continuation of the Winning Practices Forum and, of course, a second musical wine and cheese offered by the Municipality of Clair. As we can see, the Clair Colloquium is more than a school affair. It is an entire community that comes together to offer participants an incomparable experience. The many volunteers, school staff and students know how to add that warm touch that makes Clair a unique event.

Then comes the time for the evening meal: the famous BBQ chicken cooked on site. This is another opportunity to continue conversations, get to know new faces and feast in good company. The day ends with the official opening ceremony and the much appreciated lecture by Raymond Vaillancourt, very convincing with his principles of leadership changes.

On Saturday morning, two last conferences are on the menu. The excellent Annick Arsenault, teacher of a flipped class in 7^e year, and the colorful Jean-Yves Fréchette, from the Institute of Comparative Twitterature and retired from college, plunged the participants back into reality with the account of their personal experience as teachers.

The Clair Colloquium is more than a school affair. It is an entire community that comes together to offer participants an incomparable experience.

Finally, it's time for a last Brayon meal to taste the famous " bend And other delicacies, then it's time to say goodbye. We promise to stay the course, to change the world and to have fun doing it. A shining sun awaits us, as if to tell us that everything we have seen and heard at the CAHM is possible in our environment.

Clair, it is ultimately the conversations of the return during the many hours spent in the car with colleagues discussing our favorite moments, what we want to change in our practice, the people in our community that we want to influence positively. The long road is a very minimal price to pay for this annual meeting, which brings so much inspiration and energy. You just have to consult the cloud of the most used words under the hashtag #Clair2014 to realize that the values conveyed during this Symposium go well beyond technology and are centered on those who are at the heart of our concerns: the students.