Diversity among teachers is good for students

Religious symbol ban would remove role models and embolden bullies, say Samuel Freeman and W.Y. Alice Chan.

The new Coalition Avenir Québec government seems determined to ban publicly employed authority figures from wearing visible religious symbols such as the hijab or kippah on the job. But doing so would harm Quebec’s next generation. In particular, banning teachers from expressing their identity at work could undermine our children and youth’s academic outcomes, as well as their feeling of belonging, safety and happiness in the classroom. If the Legault government carries out its plan, it would force teachers from certain backgrounds to choose between their jobs on the one hand, and the practice of their faith and expression of their culture on the other. As such, the government is threatening to present these teachers with an impossible choice that would remove them and the cultural diversity they represent from the classroom. As a pediatrician and teacher, respectively, we reject the government’s religious-symbols ban based on personal experience working for the education and well-being of children. Considerable scientific evidence supports our position. There are many reasons why Quebec’s diverse population requires a representatively diverse group of teachers. Many studies, mainly from the United States, show that teachers from minority groups have positive effects on minority students. Minority students’ test scores, participation in advanced level classes, and graduation rates rise when they are taught by minority teachers. Suspensions and expulsions decrease, as well. Other studies have shown that minority teachers are preferred not only by minority students, but also by non-minority students. Everyone benefits from diversity in the classroom. There are several theories about why a diverse body of teachers helps students, and particularly students from minority groups. First, they act as role models. For minority students, having a teacher who looks like them models inclusion and the possibility of future professional success. Teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds may also better understand students from their own cultural groups. Because they have a fuller understanding of their students’ lives outside of school, they may be able to develop pedagogical approaches that are more culturally appropriate for their students. Understanding students’ cultural backgrounds helps teachers understand how their students learn. One of us (Chan) studies religious bullying — bullying that happens based on one’s perceived or actual religious or non-religious affiliation. In Montreal, such bullying exists in schools, although the exact rate is unknown. Research shows that a lack of understanding about religious traditions, or biased views about them, can lead to religious bullying. Students often do not report instances of bullying to their teachers, school administrators, or parents due to fear and an expected lack of response. Those who do report instances of religious bullying are often met with a lack of support from their schools or communities. But having a teacher from a religious or other minority group can lead to greater support. We believe that the Legault government’s proposed restrictions, which would constrain some religious groups and not others, will only increase bias and embolden religious bullies. Given the many serious negative consequences bullying can have on school attendance, academic performance and children’s mental health, there is no question that a diverse teacher corps is critical for the well-being of Quebec’s children. François Legault has said that he was voted into the premier’s office because he listened to the people. We believe that if he and his government did so in earnest, they would realize that diversity is already a fact of life in Quebec and that a religious-symbols ban would be a mistake. Research shows that diversity in the classroom is beneficial for students on many levels. Quebec’s next generation deserves those benefits. Samuel Freeman is a pediatrician who practises in Montreal and in Quebec’s Nunavik region. W.Y. Alice Chan is the executive director and co-founder of the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy. She is a PhD candidate at McGill University, where her thesis looks at the connection between religious literacy and religious bullying in public schools.