After being inside a classroom for nearly three decades, Liette Doucet is taking on a new role. This week, she was elected president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.
“The members want a strong voice. They want a strong voice speaking for them and they are waiting for that and I believe that’s why they elected me,” she said.
Doucet says there are many issues she wants to tackle when she officially takes over the union’s top job on Aug. 1. Improving the public image of teachers in Nova Scotia is one of her goals.
“I think teachers are at a point now where they really want the public to see what they face day-to-day in the classroom,” said Doucet. “I don’t believe that they feel the public does understand, or parents they do not understand either.”
Doucet takes over the reins at a difficult time. The union is still trying to negotiate a contract with the provincial government. In December, members voted against accepting a tentative agreement that was supported by their union.
MORE: NS public school teachers reject tentative agreement
“I hope that the government will bring us into the fold before they come out with new policies, new curriculum, I’m hoping that they allow us to bring the voice of the teachers to them before they roll out anything new.”
Doucet says working conditions, like class size and workload is something that needs to be addresses.
“We are trying to serve our students well however, we have too much to do and too little time to do it”
During her term, Doucet says she wants to make mental health a priority and help provide more support to teachers in the classroom.
“Mental health is a challenge for teachers because they are dealing with students more and more who have mental health issues and it’s not just a certain grade level, it’s every grade level, right from primary to Grade 12 and into the community colleges,” she said. “Teachers aren’t trained to deal with mental health issues.”
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