At a time when teaching seems to have fallen out of favor with cégep graduates, thus causing a shortage of teachers in the Quebec school system, it would seem relevant to me to refocus our discourse on the rewarding effects of teaching. which can become the most beautiful profession in the world for those who feel called to exercise this profession with love.
With the increasing advent of jobs called upon to use modern technologies, human contact is virtually absent from jobs that prioritize these technologies. In these circumstances, education, whose primary role is to communicate knowledge to learners, is called upon to play a key role in tomorrow’s society.
Thus the student becomes the raw material on which the intervention of the teacher plays the role of cornerstone of any form of learning. Is there a job as rewarding as one that transcends mechanical conventions to focus on the complexity of a human being? In my view, the answer is no. By virtue of his profession, the teacher has the extraordinary opportunity to work on human material and, as such, to contribute to his personal growth. What a wonderful challenge, isn’t it?
Communication, namely the essential common thread that will allow the student to participate in his learning, becomes, in these circumstances, the essential asset available to the teacher. And, to achieve this, the teacher must create a climate conducive to this communication without which any acquisition of knowledge becomes impossible.
For example, I would not see a teacher starting his lesson immediately after the ringing of the bell when the students still have in mind their discussions of the break between lessons. Silence must be restored in the class and, to do this, the teacher must allow the students the time necessary to regain calm if he hopes to catch their attention before approaching his course content, even if it means exchanging a few minutes with them. about a recent personal experience.
Some students are experiencing problematic situations at home, others have seen their romantic relationship come to an end in recent days, still others have lost a grandfather they particularly loved.
In these circumstances, it would be relevant for the teacher, before the start of the course, to find out from the young person living in a difficult situation, an attitude which, without a shadow of a doubt, will help to strengthen the bond with his teacher. and, by extension, to arouse their attention more in class and possibly improve their results.
Students are not robots who only have to swallow knowledge, a utopia that must be removed from the educational approach. On the contrary, they are full-fledged human beings who need special attention at certain times in their lives, hence the constant vigilance to be developed on the part of the teacher.
Behind their often rebellious appearance, young people veil a need for love. To those who may be considering becoming a teacher, I leave you with this encounter I had with a teenager seriously afflicted with cancer: -Are you all right? He stares at me deeply… – Are you in pain? He becomes sad. -I can do something? He beckons me to come closer. – In three months, I will be no more!…In the meantime, love me!
Photo d’Archives Stevens LeBlanc
Henri Marineau, Retired high school teacher Quebec