Teachers in Quebec are fighting extremism

Sometimes children write things in their school essays that make adults' hair stand on end. Noémie Verhoef, a teacher at a college in the city of Victoriaville, was taken aback by the paper her student handed in. In the Philosophy essay, he wrote that peoples who had suffered genocide at the hands of the Nazis had provoked them and were responsible for their own persecution. The student supported his position with very radical theses. Unfortunately, such situations that frighten educators are not uncommon.

Teenagers on the cusp of adulthood can become interested in radical ideologies based on hatred towards people who differ from them. Teachers explain this in different ways. Firstly, teenagers want to belong to a certain group and be in the company of "their own", clearly separating themselves from the rest of society. Radical movements try to attract young people by showing them that they are welcome here and ready to support any, even the most absurd, opinion. Secondly, former children tend to be maximalistic and simplify reality. For them, there often exist only black and white. For example, they may believe that all of the problems in Canadian society are caused by immigrants. Thirdly, teenagers like to possess some "secret" knowledge about the structure of society, which is why they can easily become interested in conspiracy theories. And they also often get angry and look for someone to direct their anger towards.

Teachers warn parents to be interested in what content their grown-up child consumes, who they communicate with, and what views they hold. YouTube and TikTok sometimes become not just a way to kill time, but a platform for extremists.

Verhof and other teachers turned to specialists at the CEFIR research center, which studies radical ideologies and ways to counter them, for help. They compiled a manual consisting of educational videos for educators. Now, most teachers in Quebec have familiarized themselves with it. It discusses various strategies for responding to extremist views held by students.

Experts urge teachers to carefully observe the atmosphere in the classroom in order to timely detect whether students have become engrossed in radical ideology. If things go too far, the classroom becomes a place of constant conflicts and even fights. It becomes impossible to learn in such an environment: some students see enemies in others, while the rest hear insults and accusations from them.

Teachers are advised to create an atmosphere of mutual respect in the classroom, to develop critical thinking in students, and to hold discussions on social issues as often as possible. Discussions should allow children to express their opinions calmly within the framework of decency and morality. It is prohibited to ridicule or demonize children for their radical views: this only makes them even more closed off in themselves and their extremist views. Sometimes a teacher needs to talk to a child one-on-one, and sometimes they need to seek the help of parents and a school psychologist. It is important not to lose authority among students, otherwise, they will not listen to the teacher's advice.

However, not everything depends on educators. Teachers in Quebec ask parents to actively take an interest in their children's position, teach them to think critically and respect others. The main upbringing of a child is still provided by the family, and it is up to the parents to determine how their children will treat other people — whether they will see them as enemies or as friends.