Memories of Clair 2015

From January 29 to 31, the 6^e edition of the Clair event, see education differently. Here are some highlights of this meeting which, year after year, maintains the flame of teachers and other players in the French-language school environment, particularly in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and elsewhere.

Difficult to summarize participation in an event such as Clair 2015. It is also difficult to stick to the facts, as required by news writing. This is why I allow myself to go to "I".

I don't believe it is possible for a participant not to feel uplifted by the wave of inspiration and commitment that sweeps through these three days that pass in an instant.

It is not a gathering of “aliens” blinded by technology and lacking in critical thinking. It is a gathering of enthusiasts who believe that anything is possible. The people who testify there are not just theorists, they are people who have seen, who have lived, and who have succeeded, people who prove that when you want, you can. People who managed, who got involved. Commitment as well as professional development were also the common threads of many of the activities of the 2015 edition.

The C @ HM (Haut-Madawaska Learning Center), where the event takes place, is located in an underprivileged, francophone minority community in New Brunswick. However, it is one of the most “techno” schools there is. The premises are overflowing with equipment - not just computers - to make you dream. The director, Roberto Gauvin, candidly explains that getting there did not happen overnight, and that he did not wait for money from the government. The entrepreneurial culture of the establishment, to which all staff adhere, and the strength of the local community are factors of success. “To get there, we made countless requests to different programs and organizations. We believed in it. "In the corridors, we confirmed:" And we do not say no to Mr. Gauvin! ".

The school team has chosen to trust the students and they can bring their devices to school, the network is open, and yet no one is seen wasting their time. In one corner, a virtual reality headset allows you to virtually move around a landscape. “And what is the educational intention? A visitor asks, looking doubtful. Another teacher immediately sees an excuse for a writing project, the other talks about Minecraft, etc.

In the center of the school was for the occasion the console of the Acadiepedia youth radio. Very often during the day, the students grabbed the microphone and announced the weather forecast, the title of the next song, or even interviewed a visitor. Thursday evening, the Minister of Education of New Brunswick, Mr. Serge Rousselle, made a visit to the school. In an interview with the young people, he popularized the tasks of a minister of education, confided that it was a new role for him and that he would like to talk to them again in 4 years, then concluded that it 'was his most interesting interview of the day. To the question "what message would you like to give to young people?" He replied to always give the best of themselves and that in this way they will be successful.

At C @ HM, everything seems designed so that young people have a taste for success and give their best: music studio, radio, jewelry making workshop, mobile devices, filming studio, theater… The room in which the books are found, what is called the “library” in a teacher-training college, is called the Center for Research, Innovation and Creation (CRIC). There are, alongside books and computers, robotics equipment, a TEDx corner, a well-stocked workbench, a 3D printer… A teacher confides in us: “I don't know how it all works. My students use it! "

We learn during our visit that the director and his maintenance staff have built with their hands several supports, desks, shelves, in short, that they have helped out in the interest of the students. Next door, a teacher from another region laments: “At our place, teachers start at 8 am and finish at 4 pm. No way to involve them in anything. Everything suggests that participation in Clair would do them good!