The Legault government’s latest advertising campaign, “Become a teacher!”, aimed at “revaluing the teaching profession”, attracted a lot of criticism last week.
• Also read: [VIDÉO] A “nunuche” and “infantilizing” ad from the government on primary education that does not pass muster
Important clarification: one of the capsules of this $1.5 million offensive sparked a chorus of criticism. The one where we see Chloée Deblois, a “positive” influencer (she was called that to me), questioning a real teacher, “Sandrine”, about her daily life. With rhythmic music worthy of Pass-Partoutall the clichés are there, including venial transgressions: Sandrine admits to having favorites, receiving cups as gifts, and confesses to having cheated in the past, at school. Along the way, we unsubtly list enticing elements of the last collective agreement.
The result is distressing. Many people in the profession have seen prejudices that are all too common, notably that in primary school it is about “playing” and “doing crafts”. Any reasonable person who inflicts these 95 long seconds of discomfort on themselves will share this observation.
“I like children”
The “infantilizing” tone, the “nunuche” side, to use the words of a teacher interviewed by The Journalare not just defects of form and manner.
Who exactly do we want to attract with this capsule? The government must quickly recruit candidates for a profession abandoned early by young people and left en masse by new retirees.
An education academic confided to me that the main problem with the capsule was that it was aimed primarily at those who, in any case, are already thinking of “becoming teachers”: people certainly full of good will, but who, often, have this career choice because they “love children”, which they discovered following an experience as a day camp counselor, for example. It takes some, of course, but if we want to combat the shortage, we will have to attract other types of candidates.
Sans guili-guili
It must be said: the first message of this campaign was successful. A teacher speaking to her students without guili-guili asks them to take out their mathematics notebooks. The children disappear behind the rising desks. When they come back down, the students have become adults and wear the clothes of the trades they practice.
According to the academic cited above, research indicates that “valuing the social utility of the profession”, in other words the ability to play a key role in the future of students, is more effective than “financial attraction measures” .
Why then not rely, in advertisements, on testimonials from parents admiring their children’s teacher? Adults paying tribute to the teachers who left their mark on them? Why not see a teacher at the museum, at the theater, at the National Assembly, etc., with his students? Why not see inspiring teachers there, passionately transmitting the knowledge they possess? Don’t tell me that’s an outdated ideal. If so, any “valorization” effort will fail. Perhaps we need an Order of Teachers, which would make it a proper profession?
