Anne Quesnelle has been teaching within the Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon for 19 years, and for 9 years now she has been teaching young students at Sainte-Marie, a French-language elementary school in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. After teaching preschool for many years, and then grades 5 and 6, she now is an arts teacher (visual, drama, music, and dance) for all the school’s students.
Quesnelle believes that no one is ever too young to learn about politics or about the world that surrounds them. She never shies away from discussions of political or social issues with her students; in fact, she encourages them to be mindful and inquisitive about the things they encounter on a daily basis. “As soon as the student asks the questions, we should be able to answer and not brush it away. It’s important to get young people involved.”
The questions can often come up during election season and that provides Quesnelle with the perfect opportunity to engage her students further in the democratic process by participating in the Student Vote program. “During elections, it’s easy to bring up the subject because young people are always ready to listen.”
She has organized the program for every election at the municipal, provincial and federal level since 2017, engaging students, her colleagues as well as the students’ parents. “When I commit to bringing CIVIX programming to life in my school, I’m making sure that it’s not just my classroom, but my entire school-family that benefits.”
Not surprisingly, her commitment has ripple effects outside the school. “Parents did not expect their children to be interested in politics. The students would talk about the issues at home with their parents, and that would motivate their parents to get involved and vote.”
Mindful of the fact that not every teacher is prepared to tackle civic education and elections in class, Quesnelle provides support and resources to her colleagues who wish to participate in the activities. Both she and her students often go into other classrooms in order to present the candidates and the parties to all the students.
In addition to helping the students learn about the local candidates, Quesnelle invites candidates to her class so they can answer the students’ questions directly. She tries, as much as she can, to provide all the candidates with the same visibility, making sure they are all invited to visit her class, but she also knows how to seize an opportunity when she sees one.
“During the last municipal election, I saw our current municipal councillor at the side of the road with his sign (greeting citizens),” she recalls. “I stopped my car to invite him on the spot to come to my classroom that morning and speak with the students. He accepted, and 30 minutes later, my students welcomed him into the class.”
Not only do these visits help students learn more about the issues and the people running for office, says Quesnelle, they demystify some of the prejudices that are often attached to political representatives. “The candidates are approachable and it’s important for young people to know that they’re not celebrities.”
When I commit to bringing CIVIX programming to life in my school, I'm making sure that it's not just my classroom, but my entire school-family that benefits.
What’s more, she tries to show her students that becoming a representative or any type of public servant is both a position of privilege and sacrifice. “It’s important for the student to understand that the people who are running are from Sudbury and they’re making a sacrifice by going to live elsewhere. They are human beings like us, maybe even a member of their family.”
Quesnelle has seized many other opportunities that helped her students take part in authentic and experiential learning activities, as well as showing them the various ways one can be an active member of the community. “For me, education shouldn’t be confined to four walls”.
At the end of 2018, when the Commissariat aux services en français, now part of Ombudsman Ontario, announced that it would abandon the Franco-Ontarian University project, Quesnelle and her students sprang into action. “Just a few hours after the announcement by the premier, we were able to mobilize quickly. The students did ‘flash’ interviews, created a demonstration board. As far as I could see, these were the first students to show their disagreement in a democratic and visible way online on this important news of the day.”
Their message went viral on franco-ontarien community social media accounts. This public display of criticism showed just how engaged and informed Quesnelle’s students were and contributed to her nomination as one of the finalists for the 2019 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Following the federal election of 2021, Quesnelle helped her students find other ways to make their voices heard. Her 5th and 6th grade students organized a campaign to raise awareness of active forms of transportation within the community, which they called “Let’s Ride, Let’s Walk, Lions!”
They partnered with a community organization, Azilda Community Action Network (ACAN), and prepared arguments demonstrating the importance of sidewalks and bike paths on the main roads. Furthermore, several students, 10 and 11 years of age, participated in the community’s Town Hall one Friday evening where they were invited to speak and present their points of view as young commuters. “Their impact was breathtaking, and we always receive praise and thanks for our participation in this event, which doesn’t usually feature young people.” This was yet another example of just how aware and active young students can be with the guidance and support of teachers like Quesnelle. “Young people have realized that if they care about something, they can do something about it — their voice counts.”
At a Glance
Name: Anne Quesnelle
Location: Greater Sudbury, Ontario
Grades Taught: Elementary (all levels)
Subjects Taught: Arts (visual, drama, music, and dance)
Years Teaching: 19
Years Involved with CIVIX: 7
CIVIX programs used: Student Vote, CTRL-F
Key Motivation: “I'm a lifelong learner and I learn from my students as they discover new things.”