The Guest: Teachers on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

The title is feminine because, in the lower classes (1 to 3P), it is above all women (stereotypes die hard…) who exercise this beautiful profession. Beautiful profession? Reading the article in “24 heures” of August 13 and the testimonies of a few teachers who dared to speak out, the task becomes exhausting.

It’s not just about learning to read, write and count anymore. We have to deal with the screams, tantrums and even violence of some disturbed or seriously unruly students. It’s hard to believe when we see these endearing 4- to 6-year-olds in the back-to-school photos…

Some students have a real disability (hyperactivity, autism), while others are clearly disruptive. It is up to teachers to identify them. Parents often seem indifferent, believing that the school will put their offspring in order, others are absent or overwhelmed.

It is then necessary to establish a dialogue and overcome preconceptions in order to direct them to a therapist. This is one of the answers so that these children can continue their schooling and a relief for their teachers. A single student can, by their behavior, monopolize the teacher’s availability and disrupt the entire class.

Inclusive schooling is, in theory, a good model that has proven itself if it is well implemented. For maladjusted children, it is necessary to individualize learning while the other students follow the program. But reinforcement from the school institution is difficult to come by, there is a lack of specialized people and support arrives in dribs and drabs. The teacher becomes discouraged and ends up blaming himself or herself: “I can’t do it!” For years, we have witnessed the spiral of teacher discouragement, fatigue, illness that culminates in burnout.

Politically, the innovative concept of inclusion has been accepted with reluctance, but adequate means have not followed. This is not a financial problem because for years the state’s finances have been doing very well. If the budgets were in the red (a classic), the accounts became fairy tales in the spring. To the point that the right has rushed into the idea of ​​lowering taxes…

The school is caught between the demands of the economy, which wants capable and well-educated young people, the situation of broken families, relieved that the school takes care of their children, and the society which already offers very young children violent and inspiring images.

Lack of respect

This picture is not very encouraging for seeking future teaching vocations. Added to this is the lack of consideration and respect for a profession whose only value is the number of weeks of vacation.

Equality of opportunity is a mandate for public schools. Too many bad starts lead to a chaotic and penalizing future for adolescents who have had a bad start. “To build a school is to close a prison,” wrote Victor Hugo. School is not just walls, it is students. And teachers.

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