Forum of 200 teachers: "We want to teach in front of our students, not in front of a camera"

We, teachers, have been contorting for weeks so that our pupils and students keep the thread of their work during this very special period.

We want to share our deep concern about the organization of the next school year and more generally about the future of education in France.

Rumors, never confirmed but never refuted, accustom us to the idea that the return to school can take place in "distance" or "semi-distance": the Minister of National Education has repeatedly stated that certain practices developed during these last weeks could last. More specifically, Ms. Meunier, LR MP for Corrèze, tabled on May 19 a bill "aimed at establishing distance digital education in high schools, colleges and elementary schools". In this bill officially relating to primary and secondary education, we also learn that distance learning could be “an alternative solution” to face-to-face for students who would not have the means to find accommodation in one or the other. other of our university cities. This hazardous detour through higher education questions us: would the national education system have in mind to apply, in the long term, the same treatment to younger pupils living in regions too depopulated for school, college and high school to be profitable? Does National Education use the health crisis to speed up its calendar?

In no case should the teaching conditions suffered by students and teachers during these three months be considered as a lasting model. You have to have a very poor idea of ​​what teaching is to pretend that distance learning courses by video conference can be satisfactory. The distance deprives us of the heart of our business. We teach in the eyes of our students, not in the distorting eye of a camera.

In a few years, the teachers were transformed into administrators, responsible for filling out tables or, for some, sticking green or red stickers for any evaluation. But until March 13, 2020, we still had students.

Read also: Why online education is not the future of school

It is our honor as teachers to say that we are much more than distributors of written, audio or video documents. It is our duty to remember that the physical presence of a teaching staff with the students, with all that it induces, is an essential component of the exercise of our profession.

We pretended to have finished with the lecture delivered by an omniscient professor on his platform. Here it came back in its steepest form via video or audio documents rendered artificially attractive through the medium of emoticons or instant messaging with decorations as ugly as fanciful.

Some parents choose home schooling, others advocate a loosening of the school vice. Their reasons are perfectly defensible. Let there be no mistake: the wolf sometimes hides under the grandmother's clothes. What we are witnessing is neither a loosening of the school vice nor a return to preceptorship. No! National Education swells and invites itself into our homes, not content to dictate its standards of good health to us. Bedroom and classroom merge to blend into a virtual, abstract space, made of connections but ignoring human relationships.

In the name of compulsory education and the protection of the most vulnerable, Frédérique Meunier thus wants to impose the use of distance learning platforms: she evokes it herself, the MOOCs issue paid certificates. This competition between training courses and the delegation by National Education of teaching missions to private servers endangers the intellectual independence of France. There is a great risk that, from kindergarten to university, only those fields considered useful for the economic interests of the organizations which finance, directly or indirectly, will be promoted.

If the State no longer provides a public education service now delivered to private companies, who is therefore supposed to pay for the certifications and the accommodation costs of ENTs or MOOCs of all kinds? The student and his parents? The state? But who can imagine that a State, which has become a captive customer, pays a tax to private companies, in addition in a monopoly situation? The compulsory nature of education can only rest on the gratuitousness and independence of the State.

Certainly, we are told of the most fragile. But the bill expresses a very curious conception of an “inclusive” school: it confines itself to setting aside. Wouldn't it be better to question the causes of the real estate bubbles that our metropolises know rather than to condemn the students in the incapacity of lodging there to remain alone in front of a computer?

Finally, it is digital itself that we are suspicious of. Teachers, we cannot condone the intensification of the use of phones, tablets and computers when we are already seeing the disastrous consequences of screens on the cognitive development and learning capacities of our students. Citizens, we refuse the ever more massive production of polluting and hardly recyclable devices, the increasing congestion of overheated data servers and the extraction, by children of there, of the rare metals necessary for the manufacture of tools intended to the kids here. Since rare earths are a finite resource, we would also invest in teaching methods that are soon to disappear. Let’s use public money better. The future of youth is at stake, which must in no case become the payer of "whatever it costs."

We always knew how to take care of absent students without having recourse to these digital platforms. We therefore hope that this bill will have no effect. We unfortunately fear that, in addition to the questions of ethics, ecology and social justice that it raises, it does not constitute a decisive step in the modification of education which, now conceived as a market service animated by private providers , would not escape the forced uberization of society.

A class is a community, not an aggregate of atoms. In a class, as in life, the best and the worst happen: boring lessons, incompetent teachers, dunks near the radiator. With the education that we are promised, the worst will perhaps disappear: no more heaters or rowdy teachers.

Above all, we will have sacrificed the best.

* This tribune is signed by: Marie Girard , aggregator of mathematics, CPGE, lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Guilhem Girard , aggregator of classical letters, Jean Charcot college, Lyon (69); Manon Des Portes , ENS de Lyon, aggregator of classical letters, doctoral student at the University of Lyon 3, Lyon (69); Magdeleine Nivault , normalian student, classical letters, ENS Lyon (69); Sophie Benezech , aggregator of classical letters, normalian student, ENS Lyon (69); Anne-Claire Nivault , student to teach history, University of Lyon 3 (69); Théo Fatou , former student of the ENS Lyon, associate of SVT, Jean Renoir college, Neuville sur Saône (69); MartinFatou , math student at ENS de Lyon (69)

Co-signers: Michel Abadie , agrégé in mathematics, Lycée Galilée, Gennevilliers (92); Bruno Adam , Associate of History, Georges de La Tour High School - CPGE, Metz (57); Marianne Adam , normalian student, ENS Lyon (69); Pierre Ageron , aggregator of geography, Fustel de Coulanges high school - CPGE, Strasbourg (67); Marianne Amourous , certified in modern literature, Notre-Dame des Minimes, Lyon (69); Bernadette Angleroud , professor of higher chairs, Lycée E. Herriot - CPGE, Lyon (69); Myriam Ardoin , aggregator of English, Cité Scolaire Internationale, Lyon (69); Jérômine Arduin , certified, Bourg Saint Andéol (07); Laure Audigier , associate professor of German on availability; Alain Audras , associate, lycée Charles and Adrien Dupuy, Le Puy en Velay (43); Julien Auriach , certified, trainee, lycée Saint-Paul, Saint Étienne (42); Angela Baptista , certified Portuguese, Cité Scolaire Internationale, Lyon (69); Morgane Bascaules , certified in philosophy, Freinet teaching high school, La Ciotat (13); Svelana Baude , professor of higher chairs in physics, Lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Ulric Baumgarth , certified, Albert Camus college, Villemur sur Tarn (31); Alain Bardet , professor of superior chair, Edouard Herriot high school - CPGE, Lyon (69); Lydie Baron , certified, IUT d'Allier, Montluçon (03); Nicolas Baurand , certified in history and geography, college of Caillols, Marseille (13); Elisabeth Beauvallet, normalian student (ENS Lyon), aggregator of modern letters; Sophie Bel , aggregator of modern literature, Lycée Maximilien-Vox, Paris (75); Anne Belle , Associate, Guist'hau and Clémenceau High Schools, Nantes (44); Camille Bellenger , former student of the ENS de Lyon, associate, doctoral student, Sorbonne-University, assigned to the Academy of Lyon; Cécile De Belleville , certified in English, lycée Notre Dame de La Merci, Montpellier (34); Nicolas Belling , agrégé in mathematics, lycée Jean XXIII, Montigny les Metz (57); Aline Berger , certified in plastic arts, college of Montignac Lascaux (24); Guy Berset de Vaufleury , professor of higher chairs, CPGE, Georges de la Tour high school, Metz (57); Gaultier Bes , normalien student, associate, TZR Loire-Nord (42); Raphaël Bes , associate of classical letters, Institution des Chartreux, Lyon (69); Christophe Billon , Associate of Modern Letters, Saint Just public high school - CPGE, Lyon (69); Nathalie Bisson , associate of SVT, Cité Scolaire Internationale, Lyon (69); Rebecca Bolidum , certified, General and Technological High School Jean de Pange, Sarreguemines (57); Elsa Bonnenfant , school teacher, La Ciotat (13); Emmanuelle Bonvalet , associate of SVT, Lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Marc Bouchacourt , certified out of class and school head, Lycée Sainte-Marie, Lyon (69); Thomas Bourgeois , Associate of Philosophy, Lycée Sainte Marie, Lyon (69); Elisabeth Le Bouteiller , certified school teacher, Lamazou school, Paris (75); Laurent Bouvier , certified in history-geography, lycée Vauban, Givet (08); Catherine Broc-Schmezer , Professor of Universities, Greek language and literature, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University (69); Margaux Brousse , aggregated of modern letters, TZR Landes (40); Catherine Burnier , aggregator of mathematics, Lycée des Chartreux - CPGE, Lyon (69); Julien Calafell , agrégé in chemistry - CPGE, Lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Sophie Carbonnel , certified in modern literature, Saint Jean Hulst secondary school, Versailles (78); Jean-Claude Cauvin , professor of upper chair, Madame de Staël high school - CPGE, Montluçon (03); Antoine Cavalie , associate, USE La Tronche, ENS Paris (38); Véronique Chaghougian , associate of SVT, Lycée Galilée, Gennevilliers (92); Laure Chaussade , former student at the ENS Paris, contractual professor of mathematics then rehabilitator in logical mathematics, Antony (92); Estelle Chavastelon , certified, IUT d'ALLIER, Montluçon (03); Sylvain Chebalier , lecturer, IT, University of Versailles Saint Quentin (78); Nelly Chomet, certified, Jean Jaurès middle school, Montauban (82); Laurent Claeyman , certified in mathematics, Antonin Artaud high school, Marseille (13); Alex Clamens , Superior Chair, SVT, Blaise Pascal High School, Clermont Ferrand (63); Christophe Conot , associate of modern letters, European School of Munich, Germany; André Conrad , retired regional educational inspector, associate of philosophy, Nancy-Metz academy; Catherine Conrad , retired professors, philosophy, lycée Georges de la Tour, Metz (57); Marie-Gabrielle Cordina-David , certified in English, Jacques Monod high school, Clamart (92); Christophe Corp , agrégé in Spanish, Lycée Joffre - CPGE, Montpellier (34); Marie-Line Coulon , certified history geography, lycée Marceau, Chartres (28); Arthur Craplet , associate, CPGE, Institution Notre Dame des Minimes, Lyon (69); Anne Crosnier , associate, lycée Saint-Jean Hulst, Versailles (78); Frédéric Crousle , former student of the École Normale Supérieure, agrégé in philosophy, Lycée Sainte-Marie, Lyon (69); Sabine Damidaux , aggregator of classical letters, Les Fontanilles middle school, Castelnaudary (11); Pascal David , lecturer in philosophy, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Foundation (FMSH), Paris (75); Michel Decha , certified in classical letters, Lycée G. Guist'hau, Nantes (44); Cécile Debienne , certified in modern literature, retired, high school-college, Lyon, (69); Marie Dekens , associate, economic and social sciences, CPGE BL, lycée Guist'hau, Nantes (44); Olivier Dekens , Associate of Philosophy, Guist'hau High School - CPGE, Nantes (44); Philippe Delpeuch , associate of modern letters, Maximilien Vox high school, Paris (75); Laetitia Demarais , professor of classical letters, Fustel de Coulanges high school - CPGE, Strasbourg (67); Laure Demaret , certified, Ampère high school, Lyon (69); Aurélie Denis , associate of SVT, Lycée Thiers - CPGE, Marseille (13); Véronique Derousseau , certified qualified Spanish teacher / teacher of French as a foreign language, on availability; Maylis Dervillers , associate, college, academy of Créteil; Éric Desmeules , Associate in Physics, Bellevue High School - CPGE, Toulouse (31); Hermine Destouches , certified, lycée Sainte Marie, Nevers (58); Mathieu Detchessahar , Professor of Universities, University of Nantes (44); Claude Didier , certified retired professor (94); Thierry Didier , retired school teacher (94); Gislaine Drahy , temporary teacher, ARTS EN SCENE (theater school), and GRIM (school training show technicians), Lyon (69); Olivier Dubois , agrégé in mathematics, polytechnician X98, Lycée des Chartreux - CPGE, Lyon (69); Xavier Dufour , agrégé in mathematics, lycée Sainte-Marie, Lyon (69); Sophie Dumas, Associate of Geography, Jean Jaurès High School - CPGE, Montreuil (93); Rodolphe Dumouch , SVT associate, Jean Moulin high school, Revin (08); Perrine Durdilly , school teacher, St Michel school, Lyon (69); Yvan Elissalde , agrégé, normalien, lycée Montaigne - CPGE, Bordeaux (33); Blandine Escano , aggregator of mathematics, Lycée Galilée, Gennevilliers (92); Margot Farthouat , certified teacher teaching at the college; Anouk Ferracci , aggregator of classical letters, lycée Sainte Marie, lyon (69); Michèle Fialon Melois , certified by SES, Cité Scolaire Internationale, Lyon (69); Odilon Foulier , school teacher, Clair Soleil elementary school, Marseille (13); Anne-Marie François , certified in philosophy, Arthur Varoquaux high school, Tomblaine (54); Alain Fumey, agrégé in mathematics, lycée aux Lazaristes - CPGE, Lyon (69); Benoît Girard , certified in history and geography, Jules Ferry college, Bogny sur Meuse (08); Joséphine Gautier , associate, college P. and M. Curie, Villiers-sur-Marne (94); Pascale Giovanneli-Jouanna , lecturer in Greek language and literature, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University (69); Frédérique Gitzhofer-Morlet , professor of upper chair, Pôle Supérieur Jean XXIII - CPGE, Montigny-lès-Metz (57); Pierre-Jean Godard , associate of SVT, Lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Alexandra Goudard , associate of SVT, Lycée Champollion - CPGE, Grenoble (38); Marie Gomes , Associate of Philosophy, Lycée Magendie and University Bordeaux - Montaigne, Bordeaux (33); Bertrand Gonard , agrégé in mathematics - CPGE, Lycée Bellevue, Toulouse (31); Laure Gosset , aggregated with modern letters, "motto: sursum corda", lycée Sainte Marie, Lyon (69); Olivier Gosset , Associate of Modern Letters, Lycée Sainte Marie, Lyon (69); Gaël Gratet , professor of letters in First Superior, Lycée Edouard Herriot, Lyon (69); Hélène Gravier , aggregator of modern letters, CPGE, Lycée Georges de la Tour, Metz (57); Romuald Grouille , doctoral student in management sciences, University of Tours (37); Fatiha Hafidi, certified, Pierre Marie Curie college, Villiers-sur-Marne (94); Elise Hartman , certified, lycée Sainte Ursule, Tours (37); Pierre Hello , certified in modern literature, Max Linder college, St Loubès (33); Caroline Henry-Bourdain , aggregator of letters, Jean XXIII - CPGE school complex, Montigny-les-Metz (57); Edith Hoff , associate, Aiguerande high school, Belleville en Beaujolais (69); Fabrice Hoguin , certified in mathematics, IUT, IT department, Vélizy (78); Suzy Hoguin , certified English, IUT, IT department, Vélizy (78); Jean-Yves Huet , Associate, Edouard Herriot High School - CPGE, Lyon (69); Patrick Huet , associate of modern letters, lycée du Parc, Lyon (69); Agnès Inglard-Dupré , certified in French, college, academy of Créteil; Carine Isoppo , associate of chemistry - CPGE, Lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Armelle Izrael , school teacher, Abeille nursery school, La Ciotat (13); Florence Jousset , aggregator of history-geography, Lycée Guist'hau, Nantes (44); Philippe Jullien , agrégé in philosophy, lycée Joffre - CPGE, Monptellier (34); Thierry Koessler, agrégé in geography, Roosevelt high school, Reims (51); Christophe Lagoute , agrégé in physics - CPGE, lycée Pierre de Fermat, Toulouse (31); Véronique Larcade , lecturer, HDR, modern history, University of French Polynesia, Papeete (978); Valéry Laurand , university professor, Bordeaux-Montaigne University, Bordeaux (33); Martine Laurent , certified dual-qualified teacher, Ensemble Scolaire Jean XXIII (Pôle Supérieur), Montigny-les-Metz (57); Nadia Laugier , associate of history-geography, Marceau high school in Chartres (28); Mathieu Lavergne , associate - CPGE, Institution Notre Dame des Minimes, Lyon (69); Dominique Lemaire , aggregator of classical letters - CPGE, Joffre high school, Montpellier (34); Anne-Flore Lepeigneux , certified in classical letters, normalian student, ENS Lyon (69); Philippe Leroux , agrégé in mathematics, Lycée Galilée, Gennevilliers (92); Pascal Luccioni , lecturer in ancient Greek, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University (69); Olivier Maiffredy , professor certified exceptional class, Technical marketing department of Montluçon, IUT of Allier (03); Léa Marcolongo , aggregator of modern letters, La Pléiade college (REP), Sevran (93); Laurent Marsan , lecturer, IT, IUT, Vélizy (78); Mathieu Martinez , PRCE, IUT d'Allier, Montluçon (03); Pierre-Marie Masquelier , student in M2 in order to teach philosophy; Nicolas Mazzonetto , EPS HC EP teacher, St Joseph middle and high school, Lectoure 32); Cécile Meunier , associate of SVT, Rennes 1 University (35); Norman Mier , SVT certified, European School, Munich, Germany; Romain Monchaux , teacher-researcher, Physics, ENSTA Paris Tech, Palaiseau (92); Aude Monnet , professor of CPGE, Lycée Guist'Hau, Nantes (44); Isabelle Morand, certified in history and geography, Max Linder college, Saint-Loubès (33); Jérôme Moreau , aggregator of classical letters, Paul Éluard college, Vénissieux (69); Cyril Mouquet , agrégé in history and geography, Max Linder college, Saint-Loubès (33); Alexia Mostowski , Associate of Modern Letters, Thiers High School, Marseille (13); Sophie Nicollet , associate of Modern Letters, Ampère high school, Lyon (69); Catherine Ollier , certified, Max Linder St Loubes college (Gironde); Loïc Palluel , Associate of Classical Letters, Jacques Prévert high school, Boulogne-Billancourt (92); Marie Pauliat , associate, ATER, University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (64); Julie Pelian , aggregator of Spanish, Lycée Gabriel Guisth'au - CPGE, Nantes (44); Isabelle Petiot , aggregator of modern letters, Madame de Staël high school, Montluçon (03); Emmanuel Philippe , agrégé in mathematics, Lycée Thiers - CPGE, Marseille (13); Amélie Picot , school teacher, Fanjeaux public primary school, Fanjeaux (11); Jonatan Plantey , certified in mathematics, Max Linder college, Saint Loubès (33); Christopher Pollmann , Associate University Professor of Public Law, University of Lorraine, Metz (57); Alice Quantin , aggregator of modern letters, Madame de Staël high school - CPGE, Montluçon (03); Henri Quantin , associate of classical letters, Madame de Staël high school - CPGE, Montluçon (03); Emmanuelle Quichaud , certified in mathematics, Jacques Prévert middle school, Bourg sur Gironde (33); Marie Rabatel , aggregator of modern letters, retired, high school and BTS CI, Lycée des Frères Lumière, Lyon (69); Pierre-Yves Regnier , associate of SVT, Lycée Galilée, Gennevilliers (92); Florine Renard , certified, contractual at university, Gabriel Guist'hau high school - Ciné-Sup preparatory class, University of Nantes in Info-Com, Nantes (44); François Rivet, agrégé in history-geography, Joliot Curie high school, Aubagne (13); Maryline Roche , certified, Pierre and Marie Curie middle school, Villiers sur Marne (94); Philippe Rohrbach , Associate of Philosophy, in retirement since this year. Lecturer at the University of Strasbourg. Professor of philosophy at the European School of Strasbourg, (67); Perrine Rosay , aggregator of English, Georges de la Tour high school - CPGE, Metz (57); Constance Roy de Lachaise, certified, Hugues Capet high school, Senlis (Oise); Andrés Salom , agrégé in Spanish, Lycée Madame de Staël - CPGE, Montluçon (03); Mickaël Samoy , aggregator of classical letters, Charles Exbrayat college, La Grand Croix (42); Amandine Schloesing , certified in modern literature, Collège Albert Sidoisne, Boneval (28); Charles-Frédéric Schmitzberger , upper chairs, classical letters, Georges de la Tour high school, Metz (57); Christine Sempere , aggregator of classical letters, Joffre - CPGE high school, Montpellier (34); Isabelle Servant, certified in biochemical biological engineering, Saint-Exupéry high school, Marseille (13); Élisabeth Seyve , English aggregator - CPGE, Georges de la Tour high school, Metz (57); Alexandre Simon , Associate of Philosophy French High School International Victor Segalen, Hong Kong, special administrative region, China; Michel Simonin, agrégé in history-geography, "decreasing democrat", lycée Poincaré, Nancy (54); Èvelyne Soumah , aggregator of geography, Cité Scolaire Internationale, Lyon (69); Martine Starck , retired teacher, Saint-Priest (69); Martin Steffens , Associate of Philosophy, Lycée Fustel de Coulanges, Strasbourg (68); Xenophon Tenezakis , Associate of Philosophy, Lycée Stanislas, Villers-Les-Nancy (54); Pierre-Damien Thizy , lecturer, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Department of Mathematics, Camille Jordan Institute, Lyon (69); Pascale Thouvenin , University professor, French literature, University of Brest (29); Arnaud Tomes , professor of philosophy - CPGE, Kléber and Fustel de Coulanges high schools, Strasbourg (67); Ambroise Tournyol du Clos , agrégé in history, Claude Lebois high school, Saint Chamond (42); Cyril Touze , Professor of Universities, ENSTA Paris Tech, Palaiseau (92); Tiphaine Tredan , certified in physical science, lycée Saint-Louis Saint-Bruno, Lyon (69); Vincent Trutt, Senior Education Advisor, Scamaroni College, Charleville-Mézières (08); Tiffany Turpault , student to teach French; Dominique Tyvaert , agrégé in philosophy, retired; France Tyvaert , certified for classical letters, retired; Lionel Uhl , agrégé in physics and chemistry - CPGE, Lycée Thiers, Marseille (13); Clément Vauchelles, associate, Lycée Magendie, Bordeaux (33); Estelle Vauleon, aggregator of Spanish, Gabriel Guist'hau high school, Nantes (44); Stéphanie Velay , certified, EREA, Eysines (33); Anne Vernel , certified in History-Geography, Yvon-Delbos college, Montignac (24); Nicolas Vidal, certified in history and geography, college of Mataura, Tubuaï, French Polynesia; Catherine Vincent, University professor, medieval history, University of Paris Nanterre (92); Thierry Vitani, school teacher, director, Marcel Gresset school, Miramas (13); Nathalie Voisin , DDFPT, Françoise de Grâce high school, Le Havre (76); Benoît Meeschaert, certified in philosophy, Maximilien Vox high school, Paris (75); Catherine Vrillon-Andres , associate, IUT ALLIER (UCA university component), Montluçon (03); Antoine Wenisch , contract worker at the Créteil academy then a student with a view to becoming a professor of history and geography; Léa Zeringer , aggregator of classical letters, contractual doctoral student at Lyon 2 University, Lyon (69).