What Quebec teachers say is behind the acute staffing shortage — and what could solve it

Unlike some parents floored by the news, high school teacher Mike Wadden wasn’t shocked to learn this week that the province was still short more than 8,500 teachers, just days before heading back to class.

After nearly 15 years on the job, he says he’s become accustomed to successive Quebec governments ignoring “the elephant in the room” in regard to what he deems to be the cause of the shortage.

“It’s not salary; it’s working conditions,” said the social studies teacher at Macdonald High School in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que.

He says some of his colleagues have thrown in the towel because of the government’s refusal to address needs that have become “overwhelming in the classroom,” such as mounting workloads, rising expectations and a lack of resources to help manage a growing number of students who have difficulty learning.

“There’s just more and more pressure put on teachers,” Wadden said, “and, for younger teachers, I don’t blame them. They don’t want to deal with it.” 

On Wednesday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville revealed 8,558 teaching positions had yet to be filled (1,859 full time and 6,669 part time) in the public system as of the most recent data — about 3,000 more than originally believed. 

“I can tell you, it’s a big challenge,” Dranville said at the legislature in Quebec City, “and needless to say, it is a reality for which there is no magic solution.”

Government plans ‘insulting’

The ministry compiled its data from 71 out of 72 French school service centres and English school boards — where some 700 teachers were still missing as of Wednesday. 

The Laval service centre topped the list, short 905 full- and part-time teachers, and the Montérégie service centre came in close second with 874. The Sir Wilfrid Laurier and English Montreal school boards lead the list of short-staffed anglophone boards, with 450 and 84 vacant positions, respectively. 

Traditionally, many of these spots are filled in the days leading up to, or a few weeks into, the school year. 

Drainville says the government is doing everything in its power to get as many teachers as possible for the start of classes, but that Quebec will have to rely on “many not-legally qualified teachers” — meaning those without a teaching licence or degree — to fill the gaping needs.

He said that at minimum, the goal is to have at least “one adult” in every classroom to provide some sort of supervision, but without more support, he couldn’t even guarantee that much. The contingency plan raised eyebrows, with many saying it devalues teachers and the profession as a whole. 

“It comes back to the government not treating [those in] the teaching profession as professionals,” said Steven Le Sueur, president of the Quebec Professional Association of Teachers, a union with more than 8,000 members.

Le Sueur says a host of unqualified or untrained people is the classrooms “will be tough on everybody, and that, in turn, makes it tough on the students.”

Jon Keane, an art teacher at Beaconsfield High School, says Drainville’s comment was downright “insulting.”  

“I don’t think it values the profession,” he said. “It doesn’t show a lot of respect for us.”. 

Make teachers feel valued, says expert

Making teachers feel valued is a key factor in keeping them on the job, according to Phillipa Parks, an assistant professor in the faculty of education at the Université de Sherbrooke, who studies global teacher retention.

“Any sort of environment where they feel that, despite the challenges and difficulties of teaching, that their work is appreciated and supported and recognized, will go a long way,” she said. 

Quebec’s education minister “doesn’t seem to have an appreciation for the degree of difficulty in being teachers,” she said. 

Research shows an unsupportive administration, growing pressure from parents and students and few opportunities for professional development all factor into why teachers everywhere, not only in Quebec, are leaving the profession in droves — many within the first year of starting their career, according to Parks. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects are also big factors. Shifting to online learning and then shifting back to in-person learning put a lot of pressure on teachers, causing some to burn out, and left more students struggling with mental health or behavioural issues, putting more stress on teachers. 

Parks says the government should be funding networks of support for new teachers — places where they can come and share their problems, their successes and their strategies — as well as more recognition from the government overall for what teachers do.

The Quebec government defended its efforts this week to recruit and retain teachers, noting it raised starting salaries in the last collective agreement (though the province still ranks last in the country for starting salaries), developed scholarships for students in education programs, and created a fast-track, 30-credit diploma option for aspiring teachers.

But Parks says the government must be cautious about offering this one-year program, as research shows teacher retention rates are higher among those with more certification and training because they’re better prepared for the reality of the job.

“So the short-term solution will exacerbate the problem long term,” she said.

‘No flexibility’ on hiring teachers blocked by Bill 21

In a “Hail Mary” attempt to help fill the vacant spots, Drainville is urging those with a degree in a subject taught in schools to take a whack at teaching it. 

“You have a BA in history, mathematics, chemistry or French? You want to try your hand at a new career? We have place for you now,” Drainville said.

But there’s still no place for Fatemeh Anvari, a former elementary school teacher who was told she could no longer teach in her Chelsea, Que., classroom in 2021 because she wears a hijab, which is not allowed under Bill 21, Quebec’s secularism law. 

“The school did not want me to lose the classroom but, you know, there was no way out,” she said. She had been working as a substitute teacher and had successfully applied to become full time, before being told the school had to cancel her contract because of Bill 21.

The law, which passed in 2019, bars public school teachers and other other civil servants in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols — such as hijabs, crucifixes or turbans — while at work. Teachers who were wearing the hijab in class before the law came into effect were allowed to keep teaching but their careers are limited: they cannot change jobs, schools or boards. The law does not allow any new hires to wear the hijab or other religious symbols. 

Despite the dire situation, Drainville says his government will not be touching the legislation. 

“The law has been voted,” he said this week, “and we don’t want to revisit this. There’s no flexibility on that.”

Anvari, who is currently working toward finishing her master’s degree in education and with years of teaching experience under her belt, says it’s frustrating to hear that the government is willing to hire someone with just a college diploma over her. 

“Regardless of the fact that there are people who are capable and skillful and able to teach … they are not allowed to just because of their identity and the way they choose to present themselves,” she said. 

LISTEN | Education minister talks teacher shortage: 

Meanwhile, Drainville also issued a plea for those who have left the classroom to return.

But Arlene Rill, a retired elementary school teacher, says although she could “absolutely use the money,” she would never consider signing a contract to teach for another year. 

“When I taught, the children were my family. They were really my kids,” said the 72-year-old, who retired in 2006. 

But when she went back to substitute teaching in 2018, she said conditions had changed for the worse. 

“It’s complete chaos,” she said. “It has to go back to the way it was.”