COLUMN: Think Again – Respect in schools is a must

In Quebec, a new provincial regulation states that students must address their teachers as “vous” rather than “tu.”

It’s a significant change when you realize that the pronoun vous is a more formal way of addressing a person. Not only that, but Quebec students will also be required to refer to their teachers by titles such as “Mr.” or “Ms.”

In other words, teachers and students won’t be on a first name basis in Quebec schools. Students will use formal titles in addressing teachers. After all, teachers are authority figures in school, not their students’ buddies. Formalizing the language is an important step in creating the respectful environment needed for education to take place.

Other provinces, including Manitoba, would do well to take this topic seriously. While most Manitoba schools currently expect students to refer to their teachers by title and last name, this practice isn’t universally followed. Being on a first name basis with students sends the unfortunate message that there’s no difference between the roles of teacher and student.

Of course, there’s a huge distinction between a teacher and a student. Teachers are well-educated professionals who are entrusted with ensuring that students master the required curriculum content. Thus, it’s reasonable to expect students to show an appropriate level of respect.

Unfortunately, there’s been a push in some education circles to turn teachers into mere learning facilitators. However, teachers do much more than just facilitate learning; they must take active charge of their classrooms. This means giving whole-class instruction, setting clear behavioural expectations for students, and creating quality tests and assignments.

Simply put, teachers are paid to teach, and this will only happen in an environment where students respect their teachers. This is far more likely to happen when there is a reasonable amount of professional separation between teachers and students.

This doesn’t mean teachers cannot be friendly with students. However, there’s a huge difference between being friendly and becoming friends with students. If a teacher wants to develop a personal friendship with a student, he or she should wait until after that student graduates from high school. Only then is it appropriate to be on a first name basis.

It becomes even more problematic when teachers fail to maintain appropriate boundaries between themselves and their students. Sending suggestive text messages to students, sharing inappropriate social media posts with them, and using profane language around students are all surefire ways to undermine teacher professionalism.

Interestingly, students are far more likely to respect teachers who keep a professional distance. Trying to win over students by being their friend will only make it harder for teachers to do their jobs properly. Once that respect is lost, it’s nearly impossible to regain.

Even if the Manitoba government chooses not to follow Quebec’s example, there’s much that school trustees, superintendents, and principals can do to promote civility in schools. School leaders should remind teachers about the importance of professional boundaries. Let students know that they are to treat teachers as authority figures—not as personal buddies.

This is a particularly important message for early career teachers to hear. While some of them might not be much older than the students that they teach, it is essential that they maintain an appropriate distance from their students. There should be no doubt that the teacher is in charge.

And if any students refuse to respect their teachers, it’s important to intervene immediately with firm discipline. Don’t let students get away with disrespecting teachers. If administrators ignore this problem, it will only become worse.

All schools would benefit from more civility in the classroom. Respect is a non-negotiable item.

Michael Zwaagstra is a teacher and deputy mayor of Steinbach. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.