Serial Academic Romances
Don't we like to think that public servants take their positions extremely seriously?
Paid from the public purse as it were, that they perform their jobs with a sense of personal responsibility and purpose, with great rectitude and dedication is something many take for granted. All the more so when we're talking about the professional elite among public servants. Medical personnel, educational personnel.
These are well-remunerated professions, and the public expects that those who qualify and who are engaged to represent their professions for the greater good of society do so with sobriety and creative intelligence. And most undoubtedly do. And then there are those who do not for whatever reason. They may rise to the occasion in some respects, then falter and fail in others.
A good teacher is capable of imparting knowledge to students through exposing them and inspiring them to want to seek out the founts of knowledge themselves; to make them curious and enterprising enough to seek out information. Teachers should be capable of stimulating that natural sense of curiosity that makes students such amazingly adept absorbers of knowledge.
And some, like Ottawa teacher Joanne Leger-Legault are able to inspire their students. Sufficiently so that in her case she was lauded and awarded for her efforts to enthuse students at Merivale High School with a love for French-language literary arts, winning an arts recognition award in 2010.
Ms. Leger-Legault was one of those ten; hers one of several related to sexual misconduct.
The Ontario College of Teachers discipline committee heard a case accusing this teacher of violating the student-teacher boundaries. She chose of her own free will to engage in inappropriate relations with at least four of her students over a period of time that spanned 2001 - 2002, and 2005 - 2006.
The public is accustomed to being shocked and disappointed when the occasion arises when a male teacher is proven to have violated the teacher/student pact of trust. We tend to think of female students as being extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Sometimes we're exposed to the reality that this issue is an gender equal-opportunity one.
Paid from the public purse as it were, that they perform their jobs with a sense of personal responsibility and purpose, with great rectitude and dedication is something many take for granted. All the more so when we're talking about the professional elite among public servants. Medical personnel, educational personnel.
These are well-remunerated professions, and the public expects that those who qualify and who are engaged to represent their professions for the greater good of society do so with sobriety and creative intelligence. And most undoubtedly do. And then there are those who do not for whatever reason. They may rise to the occasion in some respects, then falter and fail in others.
A good teacher is capable of imparting knowledge to students through exposing them and inspiring them to want to seek out the founts of knowledge themselves; to make them curious and enterprising enough to seek out information. Teachers should be capable of stimulating that natural sense of curiosity that makes students such amazingly adept absorbers of knowledge.
And some, like Ottawa teacher Joanne Leger-Legault are able to inspire their students. Sufficiently so that in her case she was lauded and awarded for her efforts to enthuse students at Merivale High School with a love for French-language literary arts, winning an arts recognition award in 2010.
"Her enthusiasm, dedication, and long hours of hard work inspiring her students in oral and written French have been outstanding", read a news release. "Her promotion of French Literary Arts with her students and staff members has been congenial and tireless."She also taught at A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, in Kanata. Ms. Leger-Legault was one of 230,000 members in good standing of the Ontario College of Teachers. Of that total number 254 complaints were registered with the College, ten of which resulted in the revocation of a teaching certificate.
Ms. Leger-Legault was one of those ten; hers one of several related to sexual misconduct.
The Ontario College of Teachers discipline committee heard a case accusing this teacher of violating the student-teacher boundaries. She chose of her own free will to engage in inappropriate relations with at least four of her students over a period of time that spanned 2001 - 2002, and 2005 - 2006.
"By engaging in inappropriate relationships with, and sexual abuse of students whom she taught, the Member committed acts of professional misconduct as alleged. The Member failed to maintain the standards of the profession, committed acts that would be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and engaged in conduct unbecoming a Member."The facts are uncontested; Ms. Leger-Legault waived her right to a hearing, and as well the requirement that the College prove its case against her.
The public is accustomed to being shocked and disappointed when the occasion arises when a male teacher is proven to have violated the teacher/student pact of trust. We tend to think of female students as being extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Sometimes we're exposed to the reality that this issue is an gender equal-opportunity one.
Labels: Education, Ontario, Ottawa, Social-Cultural Deviations
posted by Pieface @ 6:40 PM
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