If some still believe today that young people are continually centered on their navel and not very empathetic, a teacher from the Grand-Coteau high school was happy to prove them the opposite, in her way.
After reading a text by chronicler Patrick Lagacé published in Press about the reality of those who are currently working in the hospital environment, Marie-Josée Larouche indeed had the idea of asking her students to write a letter addressed to those who fight the pandemic on a daily basis, and this, that ‘they are nurses, doctors… or janitor.
“In his report, Patrick Lagacé put quotes from people who wrote to him and who practice all kinds of professions in the health field. They were explaining how things were going for them in their current reality. I read that on a Saturday morning like any good teacher who reads her newspaper while drinking her coffee. But it was on Monday when I woke up at 5 a.m. that I had the flash. I then produced a quick little document that I later presented to my students. “
The art of writing a letter
Obviously, the idea of writing a letter may seem innovative to high school youth who grew up in the age of texting and chatting. But rather than repel them, it seems that the project proposed by their teacher piqued their curiosity.
Faced with this unexpected enthusiasm from her protégés, the teacher also decided to take the experience a little further and the exercise, which was to last for two periods, was finally stretched over five periods.
“For them, a letter is a bit like a carrier pigeon,” laughs the teacher. I explained to them how we used to write a letter, not so long ago. Eventually, they will have to write letters of intent themselves when they apply for a job. So that allowed us to work on the structure. “
The members of the three groups who are in their first year of high school have also had to take their thinking a little further. This has allowed some to consider for the first time all the personnel that is necessary for a health facility to function smoothly, especially during a pandemic.
“I asked them who are the people we can find in a hospital besides the nurses and the person who welcomes us on arrival. They did some research and got me lots of stuff. We talked about the fact that the role of the janitor could be just as important as that of the administrator. And I saw their eyes light up. There were clicks. The exercise made it very real for them. “
Inspired missives
The letters written by the students of the teacher’s three groups of 24 students were then distributed to the staff of three health institutions, namely the CHUM, the Pierre-Boucher Hospital and the Honoré-Mercier Hospital in Saint -Hyacinth.
“They were really inspired,” reveals Ms. Larouche. And it seems that those who received the letters were extremely touched. What came out a lot was that they saw how aware young people are of the situation and the reality in hospitals. They felt “wrapped up” if I can put it that way, by their approach, by their words. Some said it gave them courage. When I said that to my bands, they were really proud. They worked so hard! “
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