Marc-André Girard, director of a public primary school and author of the column " In the eye of the director »At the École branchée, proposed 6 recommendations to be explored for the promotion of education in a video which has obtained more than 5,000 views since its publication on December 30. Moreover, some of these ideas are part of the new measures announced this morning, including the cancellation of ministerial exams.
The recommendations
1- Declare education as the national priority in Quebec. Education is the solution to many “evils” surrounding situations such as the one we are experiencing at the moment, he believes. If Prime Minister François Legault repeats it often in his press briefings, Mr. Girard's vision of it goes much further.
2- Tackling things head on and say the real things, especially in connection with the pandemic. Are masks safe? Is Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 a Problem in Schools? We must rebuild the bond of trust between the ministry and the network on these subjects. Some information about this has been made public this morning.
3- Review communication strategies during official announcements. They are made on TV at a press briefing, but to the entire population at the same time. When parents then turn to schools and teachers and demand clarification on the spot, the latter have no more answers for them.
4- The shortage of teachers, especially during a pandemic, is a problem that must be addressed. We want to free them so that they can be formed, of course, but no one is there to replace them. Marc-André Girard therefore suggests some short-term avenues, including accelerated training for part-time staff already present in schools, the creation of a pedagogical technique (at the college level) to support teachers in certain tasks, return of teacher training colleges (which work in partnership with universities for teacher training) and incentives to encourage the return of teachers who have dropped out in recent years.
5- Cancel the 2021 ministerial reviews. They are simply incompatible with the current year, he believes. Catching up from last year, preparing young people for this year's tests in addition to seeing to their mental well-being in the current context is an incredible stress for teachers. Marc-André Girard suggests instead that teachers be given full latitude to exercise their professional judgment.
6- Immediately focus on what you want to keep in the "post-covid". He recalls that there are all the same very beautiful things that are happening, in particular the development of solidarity in school teams, the incredible learning curve for teachers in terms of the use of digital technology, etc. Above all, we should not give up everything as soon as the sanitary measures are over, he believes.
The full video:
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