As the start of the school year approaches, a new civility rule officially comes into effect in Quebec schools: students, from preschool to high school, must now address staff formally using the titles "madame" or "monsieur." Announced last summer by the government, the measure is part of a broader regulation aimed at strengthening respect in schools, but it has sparked mixed reactions within the educational community.
While the goal of combating incivility is widely agreed upon, the chosen methods are far from universally accepted. Several unions believe that this formal obligation risks being difficult to enforce and diverting attention from more pressing issues, such as resource shortages and the rise in violence against school staff.
A symbol deemed insufficient in the face of the challenges of violence
Among teachers, some view the use of formal address as one tool among others, which should remain at each teacher's discretion rather than being uniformly imposed. Others denounce a measure perceived as symbolic, even disconnected from the daily reality of classrooms, where verbal and physical aggression remain frequent despite existing codes of conduct.
The government, for its part, defends a framework designed to foster a respectful environment, calling for a measured application of the rule. However, education experts emphasize that respect cannot be decreed solely through language and advocate instead for better staff training and a more structured approach to addressing problematic behavior. The debate, reignited by the implementation of the regulation, illustrates the persistent tensions surrounding the responses to the challenges facing the school system.
