Simon Faucher
École secondaire Mont-Saint-Sacrement

While textbooks can provide a certain amount of knowledge, nature can also most certainly be a sound pedagogical tool. But in order to use this tool, it is necessary to know how to listen to nature and interpret it, something Simon Faucher, an outdoors activities and physical education teacher at Mont-Saint-Sacrement high school, quickly learned to do. Today he is committed to sharing his love of nature with young people with the goal of enabling them to discover their true potential.

With a somewhat bashful smile, Simon Faucher describes himself as a sort of black sheep of the education system. He grew up in the great outdoors, always on the lookout for new discoveries and adventures and using nature to shape his identity and acquire knowledge, and it is therefore not surprising that, later in life, he chose an avenue that would enable him to transmit this passion to young people. Now in charge of an outdoors program at Mont-Saint-Sacrement, he dedicates himself to his work wholeheartedly and far beyond the normal call of duty so as to enable his students to partake in unconventional learning experiences. He devotes no less than a dozen weekends a year to his students, during which time he is with them 24 hours a day.

“I often enjoy surmising that with our program – and I think with my commitment as well – we leave a positive footprint on young people rather than it being young people who leave their footprint on nature,” he philosophizes. “When I see that the students get their sleds ready for the expedition on their own and even prepare their dehydrated meals themselves, I can say to myself that we have accomplished something positive.”

Thanks to his expeditions, Simon Faucher succeeds in establishing trusting relationships with young people. He gets to know them in a new light and is able to discover their innate skills and inner qualities that are often undetectable in the classroom. “We lead them to work on their autonomy in a natural environment. They learn about mutual aid, group dynamics, sharing, respect and how to be heedful of others. It often all comes to a head. They are often confronted with themselves and others. A young girl once told me, a few years after following my program, that without it she would no longer be here today. She went through a difficult period as a teenager. I say to myself that, for her, my involvement has served a purpose.”

>To form citizens who live at one with their environment, which is Simon Faucher’s ardent desire, there is more than just the outdoors. For this reason, the teacher has developed a number of projects that are in line with a global approach to youth development. Among the most significant, there’s the Je redonne à ma communauté project, which enables students from three elementary schools in the region to participate in an outdoor adventure. Under Simon’s guidance, the youngest have the chance to try out rock climbing, go on discovery hikes and learn how to build a fire in the wild without leaving a mark on nature.

“When my students take part in these kinds of projects, adults often say to me: “It’s great to watch your youngsters at work. They show maturity, generosity, patience and they’re dynamic.” And I must admit, it is very rewarding not only for them but also for me.”Simon Faucher’s commitment and his unconventional teaching methods have even aroused interest outside the school. For the past five years, Simon has been working with other schools in the area, sharing his experience and developing outdoor activities programs adapted to the realities of each specific milieu. He also gives lectures for future teachers at Université Laval, which allow him to talk about his experience and prove that in-school and extracurricular projects can indeed lead to fine achievements.

The tangible results generated by Simon Faucher’s dynamism and passion are numerous. Because of his singular approach, he succeeds in reaching out to young people in a different way and leads them towards new horizons they had no idea existed. “Simon is not just the teacher of a given subject, he is someone who will forever be engraved in my memory. He has contributed to my personal development and succeeded in making me see life from a different perspective,” explains Alexandra Alain-Leblanc, a Secondary 5 student whose outdoor adventures have most certainly played a major role in her personal development.

Simon Faucher
École secondaire Mont-Saint-Sacrement