Neither Hired Mouth nor Class Monarchs: The Scope of Schoolteachers’ Freedom of Expression in Canada

What are the boundaries for teachers’ freedom of expression in public, secular schools in Canada? Drawing from the constitutional text, legislation, and normative expectations emerging from the literature, this article examines the scope given to teachers’ expression in landmark case law. The analys...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of education 2018-01, Vol.41 (3), p.783-807
Main Author: de Britto, Tatiana Feitosa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to Education
Beliefs
Case law
Censorship
Charter of Rights-Canada
Charters
Classrooms
Constitutional Law
Court Litigation
Courts
Curricula
Democracy
Education
Education policy
Educational Legislation
Educational Supply
Federal Legislation
Foreign Countries
Freedom of Speech
Freedoms
Instructional Materials
Legislation
Professional Identity
Public Education
Public School Teachers
Public Schools
School boards
School districts
Social Values
Society
Speech
Teacher Rights
Teachers
Trust (Psychology)
Values
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:What are the boundaries for teachers’ freedom of expression in public, secular schools in Canada? Drawing from the constitutional text, legislation, and normative expectations emerging from the literature, this article examines the scope given to teachers’ expression in landmark case law. The analysis shows that the binomial of trust and responsibility guides the interpretation of this fundamental freedom for teachers, who should neither act as class monarchs, absolutely free of restraints, nor as hired mouth, narrowly limited to the official curriculum. The article concludes that the ethical duties of preventing harm to students and engaging in responsible pedagogy circumscribe Canadian schoolteachers’ freedom of expression. Quelles sont les limites de la liberté d’expression des enseignants dans les écoles publiques et laïques au Canada? À la lumière du texte constitutionnel, de la législation et des attentes normatives émergeant de la littérature, j’examine le cadre de la liberté d’expression des enseignants dans la jurisprudence. L’analyse montre que le binôme confiance et responsabilité guide l’interprétation de cette liberté fondamentale pour les enseignants : ils ne doivent ni agir libres de toute contrainte ni se restreindre à la transmission du curriculum. Les devoirs éthiques de prévenir des dommages aux étudiants et de s’engager dans une pédagogie responsable délimitent la liberté d’expression des enseignants canadiens.
ISSN:0380-2361
1918-5979
1918-5979