Teachers testify to class disputes after the conflict in Conflans

A sign during the demonstration in tribute to Samuel Paty, on 10/18/2020.

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• The terrorist attack in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine against a history and geography teacher created a feeling of insecurity and unease among teachers.

• Several teacher readers of "20 Minutes" recount the course challenges they have experienced from their students and / or their parents.

• They sometimes felt alone in these situations and some even explained that they avoided supposedly sensitive subjects with their students.

There will be a before and after for teachers.

The beheading of a history and geography teacher in Conflans who had shown caricatures of Muhammad to his students, deeply moved them.

They were also tens of thousands gathered this Sunday all over France in tribute to Samuel Paty.

And since Friday, languages ​​have been loosened on the challenges of students or parents that teachers sometimes face during their lessons.

Even if they remain in the minority and are often quickly resolved through dialogue, these experiences are destabilizing for teachers, as Michel, SVT teacher in Yvelines, says: “I have already found myself faced with the hostility of certain parents, when in 4th year, we approach the theme of reproduction and contraception.

Parents demanded an appointment with me because it was out of the question that their daughter had "dirt in her notebook", namely diagrams of the male and female reproductive systems.

I explained to them that I was only following the 4th year program and that I would not change anything in my course.

They then threatened not to send their daughter to my class again, as long as this topic was covered.

It took the intervention of the CPE and the principal to recall the duties of the students in a secular establishment in which the lessons are not subject to the "ideological" approval of the parents of the students.

"Anything can be a pretext for controversy"

Sylviane, a history and geography teacher in a high school, regularly encounters this difficulty: "Every year, students tell me that the Jews or the Armenians" deserved what happened to them ... "Or that the State" did no right to forbid them to dress as their religion indicates "".

Dominique, a French teacher in a college, was also the target of certain families, after having studied certain works in class: “I take for example, Le

 : there is talk of circumcision.

Parents had called the principal to complain.

I am thinking of news from Didier Daeninckx: the students were shouting racism.

There is a gap between the interpretation of the professor's intention and the interpretation of the text.

Irony, humor, satire require a distancing that adolescents do not always have.

Everything can be a pretext for controversy.

In this sense, teaching certain disciplines including history, French and philosophy is always a balancing act.

These are disciplines of discomfort and yet so rich!

School is the place where all the uneasiness of a society that struggles to live together crystallizes ”.

However, there is no question for her of avoiding certain subjects, on the pretext that they could cause controversy in class: "The school of the Republic leads us to talk about the Shoah, colonization, equality between girls and boys, harassment, sexuality… Should we give it up?

No.

Because you have to learn the codes to interpret, compare opinions, bring people to think and while respecting each other's culture ”.

"I will be the first at the start of the school year to show the cartoons to the students"

Sophie, a French teacher in middle school, does not intend to bow down either: “I am not afraid to teach, there is no question for me of self-censoring or avoiding certain subjects.

On the contrary.

Developing critical thinking and learning to think is part of what I teach, in addition to argumentation.

I will continue exactly as before.

I will even refine my lessons even more, ”she says.

Guilaume, a PE teacher at college in Ariège, is even more determined than before: “After this tragic, unfortunate, revolting episode, I will be the first at the start of the school year to show the cartoons to the students to make them understand that the you cannot live in a society guided by fear and religion.

The right to freedom of expression is fundamental ”.

Sylviane, too, always intends to defend the values ​​of the Republic with as much energy: “I think I won when other students enter the debate by arguing and defending secularism.

My students and parents know me for my strong personality, for my passion for History.

I try to show them that throughout history, men have used religion to influence other men, to make them do things that all religions condemn.

I will continue to teach as I always have, ”she promises.

"Many colleagues say to themselves" as long as it is not me ""

But some teachers already confide that they have watered down their lessons for fear of reactions, such as Bruno, teacher of French as a foreign language (FLE): “Unfortunately, it has been a long time since I decided to censor myself to avoid problems during lessons.

My students come from different backgrounds, cultures, religions and I removed certain themes from my program because they are too controversial: contraception, abortion, religion, politics and extremism in general… ”.

Maria, an arts teacher, has been practicing this self-censorship for ten years: "No Leonardo da Vinci (too many religious symbols), no Picasso, no Matisse (naked women)".

And for Bertrand, who was himself attacked by a student's boyfriend, the tragedy of Conflans risks worsening this phenomenon: "Many colleagues say to themselves" as long as it is not me "and adopt a low profile.

This case will not encourage them to play the heroes!

".

A concern that Dominique already expresses.

"I am scared in my stomach for the start of the school year, I work in REP + and I know that there will be no means for our safety".

"I have never been supported by the National Education"

The feeling that also emerges on the part of some teachers is that of loneliness when they have been forced into these challenges.

Sarah thus regularly reported the slippages of her students to her superiors, but did not feel listened to: “During a music lesson, a student clearly told me that my job would take me directly to hell.

I was never supported by the National Education, it was a big taboo.

And since the establishments which present a lot of incident and exclusion reports are downgraded, the principals do everything to stifle the business, ”she said.

Sophie, a French teacher at the college, also says she is "very disillusioned" about the support she can expect from her hierarchy in the event of a problem: "I am convinced that reporting student slippage is not very useful for many. Reasons: paperwork to be completed very time-consuming, head teacher who at best, announces his support to you in private and is afraid of threats from parents of pupils.

There is always also the threat of a punitive inspection of the rectorate for the teacher who dares to complain.

To guarantee our freedom to teach, it is necessary that the inquiries of the rectorate are not systematically against us.

A parent complains to the rectorate, the teacher is punished without even listening to him, regardless of the veracity or not of the statements ”.

To encourage not to ignore any more incident of this type, the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer began to meet the unions of school leaders.

Announcements should follow soon.

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