Quebec civility rules won’t be adopted in Manitoba schools

Manitoba teachers are embracing the freedom to be called whatever they’d like at work while their colleagues elsewhere in Canada adjust to new civility rules.

Starting this month, Quebec has begun requiring students of all ages to address teachers as “Mr.” or “Ms.”

The new rules aim to foster civility and renew a culture of respect in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 classrooms in that province.

Manitoba has no plans to follow suit — much to the relief of Winnipeg teachers who’ve become accustomed to informal titles.

No matter where he’s teaching or what students he’s working with, David Zynoberg introduces himself as “David.”

Zynoberg said he’s found that being on a first-name-basis with teenagers humanizes him and allows him to connect with them more easily.

“We’re not just authority figures in the school, and I think it breaks down some of those authoritative barriers that might exist,” the high school internship coordinator said. “It makes us more approachable.”

Principal Jane Suchy, who oversees Exchange Met School, echoed those comments.

By inviting both students and parents to call her “Jane,” she said she’s signalling to them that she prioritizes relationship-building and genuinely wants to hear their perspectives.

“We’re on a relational plane here. Students are learning alongside their teachers. Teachers aren’t the experts of every single piece of knowledge,” she said about the philosophy inside her building, which embraces an alternative model of schooling that prioritizes internships and projects.

Suchy and other supporters of the status-quo flexibility in Manitoba tout the importance of allowing teachers to make decisions for themselves based on their judgment, comfort level and school culture.

Over the last decade, there’s been a growing trend of teachers using more casual titles, especially in elementary classrooms, said Lillian Klausen, president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

Klausen indicated it’s a reflection of a wider push to be more flexible and address people by the names and pronouns they prefer.

The absence of an official gender-neutral prefix in French has also prompted some teachers to pivot, she said.

“I don’t think the way that a teacher is asking their students to address them is what is going to make or break the classroom environment,” said the union leader who has gone by “Mme. Klausen” throughout her 30-year career.

As far as she is concerned, what matters most is that teachers get to know their students and the most effective ways to communicate with them as individuals.

The University of Manitoba’s Cameron Hauseman encourages his education students to co-create classroom treaties to set shared expectations from the get-go.

“When it comes to contemporary pedagogy, it’s far less teacher-directed,” the associate professor of education administration said.

As Manitoba schools grapple with chronic absenteeism, Hauseman said teachers are looking “for any angle” to break down barriers so students feel welcome at school and attend.

Meantime, etiquette coach Jessica LoRusso wants Manitoba to reconsider its stance to renew a focus on equipping students with transferable social skills that will set them up for success in the workforce.

The Canadian training director of In Good Company Etiquette and Finishing School said knowing basic etiquette, such as using honorifics as a default, ultimately makes one more confident, likeable and happier.

“(When these skills are lacking), that’s where a lot of miscommunication and conflict happens,” LoRusso said.

Led by a former Quebecer, Manitoba’s francophone school division has been known to take notes from out east.

Superintendent Alain Laberge, however, said he sees little value in copying the newest changes, which require students to greet their teachers with “vous” instead of “tu.”

(The latter is a more casual and conversational way to say “you.”)

“Some teachers feel that using ‘vous’ puts a space between them and the children,” he said.

For Zynoberg — David to his students — a teacher’s professionalism matters most when it comes to building a respectful classroom environment.

”Leaders can present as leaders, no matter what they’re called — that’s not what makes somebody a leader,” he said.

”What makes somebody a leader is how they treat others, how they manage themselves, how they deal with conflict resolution.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca