Index of articles:

• Anniversary of 1997 Protest: All out to support teachers
• Teachers should contact OECTA if called to explain EQAO results
• Making sense of performance appraisal
• More than an apple for Ontario's top teachers
• Speakers' Bureau by Doug McCarthy
• Marilyn Torrell
• Still much to do in Education
• PD opportunities
• Spirit of Mandela focuses on forgiveness
• International Teaching Exchange
• 2007 OTF Fellows
• Called by Name: OECTA's Anti-Bullying Symposium
• Twelve children of OTIP members win $1,000 bursary
• Awards honour exceptional educators

In every issue:

Anniversary of 1997 Protest

For two weeks in 1997, from Oct. 27 to Nov. 10, 126,000 Ontario teachers left their classrooms, to protest plans by the Mike Harris Conservatives to make radical and sweeping changes to the province’s publicly-funded education system. It was, and remains, the largest work stoppage in North American history. The 10-day protest forged new relationships for the labour movement and those concerned for the common good.

All out to support teachers
By Aleda O’Connor

How was it that after a 10-day walkout, 126,000 Ontario teachers could have more support than government? It had been the largest collective labour action in North American history, yet, late in November 1997, an Angus Reid pollster observed, “The trust element in government on education is less than it is with the teachers.”

The answer is that the Mike Harris majority government had arrogantly assumed that it could discredit teachers and their leaders enough to push through their cost-cutting agenda before the public realized what was happening. Characterizing teachers as a narrow special interest group controlled by their union bosses, the Tories were intent on implementing massive spending cuts, major reductions in personal income taxes, and restructuring and downsizing the public sector.

Teachers on the other hand, proved beyond all doubt that what they wanted to do above all, was teach. They cared about the students in their classrooms.

The final assault on teachers and bargaining didn’t really begin until 1997, but key legislative changes had already been made. The previous year, the province reduced school board funding by $400 million, announced plans to overhaul and improve the education system and commissioned studies that would justify changes to education cost structures and collective bargaining.

By September 1997 teachers were braced. Harris and his government had already

• Forced Toronto to amalgamate into a megacity (Bill 103)
• Forced school boards to amalgamate (Bill 104). This reduced the number of Catholic boards from 129 to 66
• Changed the rules for labour relations issues arising from forced downsizing in the municipal, education, and hospital sectors.

Teacher leaders learned on August 26 that it was their turn at last.

The Ontario government was about to introduce The Education Quality Improvement Act, (Bill 160), that would overhaul Ontario’s educational system: transfer funding control from local school trustees to cabinet; seize authority for teachers’ working conditions beginning with class size and instructional time; cut preparation time; permit non-certified instructors to teach some programs.

Eventually, principals and vice-principals would also be removed from the bargaining unit.

Teachers knew the real purpose of this bill was to control and then cut education spending, and reduce the power of the teachers' unions. The Tories wanted to make it easier to privatize part of Ontario's public education system and, with that money, pay for their promised tax cut. Teachers had been anticipating the events of the fall of 1997 for two years.

Shortly after John Snobelen was appointed as Minister of Education and Training in 1995, he was filmed telling Ministry of Education staff that the PC government needed to “bankrupt” and to create a “useful crisis” in the education system so as to initiate significant reforms.

With this in mind, delegates to OECTA’s 1997 AGM passed a resolution calling for a full provincial walkout of all teachers in Ontario, coordinated by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, if the government, “moves to destabilize our profession by eliminating mandatory membership in OTF; or moves to eliminate our right to take job sanctions or in any other way attempts to significantly reduce the scope of bar-gaining; or attempts to remove any of our membership from the Federation; or attacks the Teachers’ Pension Plan.” All came to pass.

So in September, with the legislation pending, teachers tried once again to negotiate a compromise to the bargaining legislation to protect program and teachers. Mike Harris and his government used their power as a majority government to force legislation forward. On September 22, Bill 160, the Education Quality Improvement Act was introduced. Teachers – individuals as well as leaders tried desperately to find compromise. Although the Minister of Education met with teachers nothing changed.

Some 800 unit and district presidents of all the OTF affiliates representing 126,000 men and women elementary teachers, secondary teachers, Catholic teachers and teachers in French language schools met on September 25 to give their uncompromising support to the plan for a province-wide walkout. Their assignment was to explain the campaign to their local members. From September 26 to October 10 local all-affiliate meetings and rallies were held across the province, to explain what was ahead, how and why.

In just over two weeks more than 85 per cent turned out to participate in events in all communities across province, from Maple Leaf Gardens, to Hamilton's Copps Coliseum, to Red Lake, Moosonee and Sault Ste. Marie. Along with teachers were growing numbers of parents and others opposed to the Harris government's policies that many called anti-democratic.

Meanwhile in provincial meetings with government, the leadership of the Affiliates and OTF continued to try to resolve the crisis by offering a compromise proposal that would protect jobs. Education Minister John Snobelen stonewalled by repeating the government’s demands for efficiencies and walked away. On October 10, the next day, Mike Harris replaced him with a new Education Minister, Dave Johnson. Teachers called again for talks, this time to be mediated. Even with the assistance of Justice Charles Dubin talks were not fruitful and teachers were left with no alternative but to walk out. On Monday, October 27, 1997 teachers walked out, and shut all schools in the province.

Across Ontario 126,000 teachers held information pickets. It became a massive and unexpected opportunity to educate the public about what the Harris government was really doing. Very quickly, things began to fall apart for the government. A leaked document showed that Veronica Lacey, Deputy Minister of Education, would earn a performance bonus if she successfully cut $667 million from the annual education budget and another $10 million from post-secondary budgets.

This proved teachers’ claims about the government’s cost cutting agenda.

Next an attempt to obtain an injunction to force teachers back to school failed, when Justice James McPherson refused to agree with the Tories that the protest was illegal. He described it as being on a plane close to a charter challenge.

Meanwhile, teachers told their stories, talking to parents, friends, reporters and MPPs. They answered critics, responded to a flood of letters and phone calls, and spoke out on radio and TV. Teachers talked about their students, about what went on in classrooms every day. They talked about how much they loved their jobs and cared about our students’ achievement. They all spoke from their hearts and they were believable. They advocated for Ontario schools and its education system.

They held a two-week front-page seminar on teachers, education, and on Bill 160, and its impact. This led to a vast increase in public awareness. When MPPs heard from constituents about Bill 160, many had actually read the legislation!

Even though the government spent more than $4 million on anti-teacher and union-bashing advertising, by the time schools reopened, 63 per cent of Ontarians felt the government should withdraw all or parts of Bill 160.

Teachers cast enough doubt about the government’s version of events that public opinion swung to their point of view.

It took a colossal team effort to manage the protest. At OECTA’s Provincial Office, the other affiliates and at OTF, staff worked long hours. Bargainers, strategists and communicators from all affiliates were assigned to work on an OTF coordinating team, while similar teams toiled in the affiliate offices early in the morning until late at night, and kept switchboards open.

It was a season of protest that mobilized the entire public sector in Ontario. It took time to battle back against a powerful majority government, but eventually they were un-seated. Teachers learned many lessons, especially to take nothing for granted. It would take hard work for more than six years to elect a government that pledged to restore funding and stability to classrooms. Thousands of teachers participated in the 2003 election campaign that unseated the Harris/Eves Tories and again on October 10 2007, when the McGuinty Liberals won a second term in office.

OECTA has established a sophisticated lobbying strategy, and learned how to work with a government in power, not just the opposition parties. The experiences of 1997 helped catalyze the formation of new partnerships.

People for Education, a grassroots parent group has grown from a kitchen table project into an independent, informed and constructive voice for parents. We appreciated how much we had in common with organized labour and joined the Canadian Labour Congress.

Later on our partnership in the Working Families Coalition, a collaboration of public and private sector unions helped end the Common Sense Revolution.

Teachers should contact OECTA if called to explain EQAO results

Teachers in Grade 3 and 6 who are asked to explain EQAO test scores to board superintendents if the scores have dropped below previous results should contact their unit president, advises Elaine Mac Neil, OECTA president.

Since September 19, 2007, when results of the 2006-07 Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1-3) and Junior Division (Grades 4-6), and the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics were released, an unusual number of teachers have been asked to justify results that have been static or have declined over one or more years.

“Boards and schools that are part of the Ontario Focused Intervention Program (OFIP) are the most common offenders,” Mac Neil says. OECTA heard from members that they are being directed by their principals to report what steps they took to prepare their students for the EQAO tests and to list the remedies they will implement to improve results into the future.

OFIP was created to improve student achievement, and in 2006-07 the government invested $25 million in supports for all boards as well as 800 schools that were not showing continuous improvement. “Every teacher who is interviewed by a superior as a result of static or declining test results should have union support at every meeting,” says Victoria Hannah, head of OECTA’s Contract Services department.

“Results of a test administered to students at one point in the year should not be used to measure achievement of individual teachers,” she says. We want to know what strategies are being pursued by the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat’s student achievement officers to implement the OFIP initiative and evaluate recent performance.

“In some cases, investigations have assumed a punitive quality, and OECTA finds it necessary to file grievances,” says Hannah.

“Tests provide just a snapshot of a moment of any student’s or school’s achievement,” Mac Neil adds. “Events and circumstances that have nothing to do with teaching could explain some of the variance among test scores when schools or school boards are compared.” Unfortunately, the tests tend to measure the temporary acquisition of facts and skills, including the skill of test-taking itself, more than genuine understanding, and one has to wonder what the scores really mean.”

Mac Neil says that many parents are beginning to question whether the time, energy and money that is currently devoted to preparing students for standardized tests in math and literacy could be spent more profitably on enriching children’s day-to-day learning experience to make it more memorable.

Making sense of performance appraisal

All teachers must submit an Annual Learning Plan and also undergo the common process for regular performance appraisals. Under Ontario’s Ministry of Education regulations for teacher performance appraisal, there are two appraisal systems: one for beginning teachers and another for experienced teachers.

Thorough and timely member education helps to make the evaluation process equitable for all teachers. Those who are going through the appraisal process can find information from OECTA on the Association website in the Members’ Centre at www.oecta.on.ca/special/performindex.htm

You will need the OECTA membership number from your OECTA membership card to log in. If you do not have an OECTA membership card, please contact the OECTA representative in your school.

There are two PowerPoint presentations that include definitions and details about all aspects of the process. If you are a new teacher, follow the links to NTIP – New Teacher Induction Program. If you are an experienced teacher, follow the links to the Performance Appraisal for Experienced Teachers.

If you are an Association Representative at a school or other work site OECTA has developed a new resource for you. Many topics of interest are presented in the six-chapter handbook, including information on performance appraisal for new and experienced teachers. The Association Representatives’ Handbook and the information on performance appraisal for new and experienced teachers found at www.oecta.on.ca/special/performindex.htm are designed to help Association Reps educate and counsel members.

The revisions to the regulations governing Teacher Performance Appraisal for experienced teachers came into force in April 2007, although some boards waited until September 1, 2007 to implement them.

Please check with your unit president for information about your board's plan. For unit information, visit www.oecta.on.ca/units/unitsindex.htm

Hot Topic
A message from Elaine Mac Neil, President, OECTA

The 36,000 women and men of OECTA are calling on the Harper Government to support Bill C303, the Early Learning Child Care Act, to ensure that there is no expansion of for-profit childcare in Canada.

Catholic teachers do not want a proliferation of large commercial childcare centres in Canada. Only a childcare service that is part of local communities, regulated, aimed at supporting families and serving children and staffed with qualified professionals can deliver the kind of care our children need. In contrast, a for-profit operation must focus on shareholder returns.

Unless action is taken quickly, the multinational, giant childcare corporation ABC Learning, masquerading in Canada as 123 Busy Beavers, will begin to gobble up small community-based and family-oriented childcare centres. These profit-driven enterprises will not give families choice, be fair or accessible to everyone or deliver higher quality care for less money as advocates claim.

This company, the world’s biggest for-profit childcare corporation ABC Learning, is behind overtures from Adroit Investments, an American mergers and acquisitions firm that has been contracted to invite childcare owners in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario to sell out to 123 Busy Beavers.

The Australian experience with ABC Learning is that daily fees in some areas have reached $100 per day per child. Where it is already in place, this market-based approach to childcare failed children with special needs and children in rural and smaller communities where there is no profit to be had. In Australia, ABC owes its success to government funding which represents up to 40 per cent of ABC’s revenue. Rising fees are helping ABC Learning to siphon off a spiraling taxpayer-subsided profit. In this way, ABC learning has accrued a value of $1.3 billion. Profits in 2006 alone topped $80 million. The inevitable outcome is that childcare will be unavailable to many, especially the working poor who most need care for their children so that they can work.

Catholic teachers believe all children deserve non-profit childcare spaces, which embody the principles of accessibility, universality, accountability, inclusiveness, quality and educational development regardless of where they live or their income. There is no place for ruthless profit in this equation.

The Catholic Teachers' Association provides a variety of counselling and related services to help teachers deal with on-the-job problems. As a regular feature, we're presenting some cases from our counsellor's files. Each is confidential so no names, schools or units are used.

The police lay a charge against a teacher for possession of marijuana for the purposes of trafficking. With private legal counsel, the teacher achieves a plea bargain with the Crown. The trafficking charges are withdrawn but a guilty plea is registered for possession. The member receives an absolute discharge with no conviction.

However, after the story is reported in the local newspaper, someone makes a formal complaint about the teacher’s behaviour to the College of Teachers. The complaint initiates an investigation into professional misconduct against the teacher, who contacts OECTA’s Counselling and Member Services department for help.

Advice: OECTA provides legal counsel for matters directly related to one’s duties as a teacher. The criminal charge was a private matter and therefore did not meet the test for legal assistance. However, OECTA does provide legal assistance before the College of Teachers because the results will directly affect the member’s teaching certificate.

When the College of Teachers receives a formal complaint, the Registrar initiates an investigation. The Registrar informs the teacher in writing that an investigation is underway, names an investigator and provides relevant information concerning the complaint. The role of the investigator is to gather information from the complainant, the teacher being investigated and any other relevant parties. The teacher is required to respond in writing within a specified time frame.

OECTA staff advises all members to allow OECTA’s legal counsel to address all matters before the College because whatever is presented, verbal or written, may be relied upon in legal proceedings.

Discussion: One’s off-duty conduct may have profound implications as a professional.

Increasingly teachers’ off-duty conduct is being challenged in court and by the College of Teachers, regardless of professional successes. The courts hold teachers to a higher standard than the general public. Teachers are cautioned that even their off-duty conduct may be scrutinized by the College of Teachers.

The College assesses conduct with the following concerns in mind: Is it reasonable to connect the conduct outside the classroom to what is or may occur in the classroom; and the impact on the reputation of the individual teacher, on the teaching professional, on the reputation of the school; on the confidence of the public in the school; and on the safety of the students?

In findings in several cases, the Supreme Court of Canada has warned teachers that they cannot, “check their teaching hats at the school yard gate.”

Student designers wanted
The 5th Annual Kids’ Fish Art Contest, sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, continues until December 21, 2007 for students in Grades 4 – 12. The winning design will be used on the 2008 Young Angler's Licence. Grand prize is a four-day fishing excursion courtesy of Red Pine Wilderness Lodge on Lady Evelyn Lake. Contestants must submit original hand-done artwork of either the bluegill or muskellunge fish, or a one-page essay about the fish. For contest details and entry form visit the Ministry’s website www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR

CBC Learning Materials
Visit www.cbclearning.ca CBC Learning's new e-commerce website to find content from CBC's vast collection of audio and video resources for teachers. CBC Learning allows teachers to review lesson plans, watch excerpts and purchase Canadian educational video and audio content online.

EcoKids environmental website
Since 1994, Earth Day Canada’s EcoKids Program has empowered Canadian youth with environmental knowledge and hands-on activities, and presented this information in fun, exciting ways that increase awareness and encourage active community involvement. The award-winning website is an innovative, interactive environmental website for children, their families, and educators in Canada and around the world. Visit www.ecokids.ca

The Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence
Honours extraordinary science teachers from K to 12. Two Canadian winners will receive an unrestricted cash award of $5,000 as well as a $5,000 cash grant for their schools to expand or enhance a school science program, science resources, or PD for the school’s science teachers. Submit your innovative lesson plan that has been successfully incorporated into your classroom to be shared with other teachers. Deadline is January 31, 2008. www.amgen.com/citizenship/aaste.html

National Video Competition
Entries to the Department of Canadian Heritage's annual Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition must be postmarked no later than January 18, 2008. Winners will receive an all-expense paid trip to Ottawa where they will take part in an awards ceremony.

Teaching and workshop materials on how to address racism, how-to guides on writing, directing and editing videos as well as tools and resources can be found at www.pch.gc.ca/march-21-mars/contest/index_e.cfm

World War: In the Eyes of a Soldier
It is a 30-minute DVD documentary that provides students with a vivid experience of World War II. Evaluated by Curriculum Services Canada (CSC), it includes battlefield footage from Armed Forces film and notes to help teachers use the program as well as tips on how to collaborate with a war veteran to enhance the classroom experience. www.curriculum.org/csc/resources/worldwar.shtml Or phone 1-800-837-3048

Teachers TV
Although currently offered as a television channel in the UK only, this service is available online. Here, teachers can retrieve videos and podcasts in subjects across the board. Offerings include everything from English, math, foreign languages and history business studies, engineering and religious education. www.teachers.tv

HotChalk.com is a multi-purpose, free online tool for teachers that allows them to network with other teachers, distribute assignments to students, and communicate with parents. Most recently, HotChalk also partnered with C News to offer teachers 5,000 video clips to use across a wide variety of subjects. http://hotchalk.com

Quantum Shift TV
This social-action themed Web broadcaster has launched a website described as “YouTube with a Conscience.” “Be the Change! Share the Story” contest challenges K-12 students to document social and environmental projects and create two short videos to be uploaded onto the Web to share with peers. www.quantumshift.tv/schools

The Kiwanis Read-a-thon
This project was established by the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa and Kiwanis International as a free, innovative literacy improvement project. Register at www.kiwanisreadathon.org for access to a teacher tool-kit containing teacher-tested and approved materials. Contact Lee-Ann Scott 613-290-5504 info@kiwanisreadathon.org

The Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers
CASLT is offering six podcasts from the Effective Practices in L2 Education series. The series continues until the spring of 2008. CASLT invites comments and feedback concerning the podcasts so far. www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=KcFhGDCc2FUWaMdrgp_2fpBQ_3d_3d

Test scores and school rankings fail
After the Fraser Institute ranking of test scores put Roosevelt Park School in Prince Rupert, in last place, the CBC’s Mark Kelley spent seven days working as a teacher there. His experience shows that test scores and rankings can be misleading. www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/seven_mark_kelley/seven_prince_rupert_school.html

More than an apple for Ontario's top teachers

OECTA’s Danielle Corsini, a math teacher at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School and a member of the Hamilton-Wentworth unit has received a top award for teaching, in the category Beginning Teachers. The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) sponsors the awards, which are administered by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF).

Other winners this year were Martin Aller-Stead a Senior Level/Co-operative Education teacher at Monarch Park Collegiate in Toronto and Danielle Honour, a Grade 2 teacher at Norseman Junior Middle School in Toronto’s west end.

“I love the morning when the children come in, always with smiles on their faces, no matter what the day before was like,” says Grade 2 teacher Danielle Honour. “I get paid to learn. What a great life,” adds Toronto co-op teacher Martin Aller-Stead. “They inspire me all the time,” Danielle Corsini says.

Corsini says she always knew she wanted to be a teacher because she had “awesome” math teachers herself. Her colleagues describe her as hard working, enthusiastic and passionate. She incorporates demonstrations, visuals, games, crossword puzzles and hands-on activities into her lessons. She makes newsletters to improve literacy. One involved aliens invading earth by flying on parallel lines. She fosters confidences through team board work and rounds of applause. And she makes math relevant by using part-time jobs as the subject for hourly rate calculations or funny motion stories to demonstrate slopes.

As a new teacher starting a first career, there is plenty to adjust to. Danielle hasn’t let that slow her pace. Now into her third year of teaching, she has been the field hockey coach and teacher advisor for the Athletic Council. She participated in the DREAMS project, traveling with students to the Dominican Republic to build homes. She has worked on the school success team, helped organize a pilgrimage walk for the poor and is working with the board’s Mathematics Literacy teacher to create workshops for elementary and secondary teachers to develop best practices.

While her own teachers led Danielle Corsini to the profession, today it’s the students who are showing her the way.

The awards are presented each year on World Teachers' Day, a day proclaimed more than ten years ago to keep alive the recognition of the contribution of teachers to society. “Whether they work in an open air school in a village in Kenya or in a wired-for-tech building in Ottawa, teachers are the heart of the community,” says OTF President Maureen Davis. “Through our awards, we recognize teachers who use innovative methods, inspire and engage students, reflect the multi-ethnic heritage of Ontario, and encourage the creative use of technology in the classroom,” Davis says.

A slate of teachers was nominated by students, parents and colleagues, each entry with a unique story of how the nominee works to motivate and challenge, gives selflessly of time and dedication, and puts students’ needs first.

OTIP is a non-profit organization that has been providing tailored insurance products and services for Ontario's education employees and their families for over 30 years. The Ontario Teachers’ Federation is the advocate for the teaching profession in Ontario and for its 155,000 teachers. OTF members are full-time, part-time and occasional teachers in all the publicly funded schools in the province – elementary, secondary, public, Catholic and francophone. www.teachingawards.ca

Speakers' Bureau
by Doug McCarthy

Notes of interest from Robert's for unit committees

Here are some points for unit executives and Committees to help meetings run effectively and smoothly, and still adjourn on time!

1. According to Robert’s Rules, there are important differences between procedures in small committees that contain from seven to nine members and larger committees that have between 19 and 21. The larger the committee the greater the need for formal procedures such as waiting for recognition before addressing the group. Conversely, the formalities needed to conduct business in a large assembly may hinder business in a small group.

2. A unit committee has five members and the president, who is made an ex-officio member for all committees. Is the quorum for the committee three or four? Robert’s says “...the president as an ex-officio member has the right but not the obligation to participate in the proceedings of the committee...” and so is not counted in determining the number required for a quorum.

3. What can be done if a committee member fails to attend meetings or cooperate with other members? The appointing power (usually identified as the unit executive in most by-laws) has the right to fill vacancies and replace members who do not cooperate. In this case “the removal or replacement of a committee member requires the same vote as any other motion to rescind or amend something previously adopted.”

4. What happens if a chair of a newly appointed committee fails to call a meeting? Robert’s permits two members to call a meeting except that a larger committee may require more members to call a meeting, in which case a special rule would be required to indicate this.

5. Can the chair of a committee vote? The chair can (but is not obliged to vote) whenever that vote will affect the outcome. So, the chair “can vote either to break or cause a tie.”

More about committee appointments, procedures, and reporting can be found in section 50 of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised 10th edition.

Marilyn Torrell

Marilyn Torrell, president of OECTA’s York Occasional Teachers’ Unit died suddenly at home, following surgery on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Torrell, who painstakingly organized the unit 15 years ago had remained its president ever since. She taught for 35 years for the York and Toronto Catholic District School Boards in both the elementary and secondary panels. Marilyn is remembered as a friend to all, who was a passionate, outspoken and friendly individual who has touched the lives of countless people, who volunteered for the Canadian Cancer Society and at the Sharon Temple National Historic Site and Museum, located in her home town of Sharon, Ontario.

She leaves her husband Douglas, daughter Ehryn Lee and son-in-law Cory Thomas.

Still much to do in Education
By Victoria Hunt
Department Head, Government Relations

On October 10th the Liberals won a second majority. Many Ontarians felt that the McGuinty Liberals were on the right track and deserved a second mandate. And while most teachers would agree that there is still a lot to be done in education, we recognize that the Liberals have accomplished a lot to compensate for the cost cutting era of the Harris/Eves governments. Teachers are hopeful that the re-investment in publicly-funded education has only just begun.

Across the province teachers volunteered, donated and voted for the most promising candidates, whether NDP or Liberal. Our political activism was evident in many ridings. We enhanced our credibility as an association of dedicated professionals.

As we look to the 10-year anniversary of the Political Protest, teachers should feel a sense of pride. Many teachers remember the end of the protest with disappointment.

However, November 8, 1997 was really just Chapter One of our lesson plan for better political action for publicly-funded education. We have learned how to be effective advocates.

Teacher activism was most evident in the riding of Don Valley West, where incumbent Kathleen Wynne fought off a challenge from John Tory. Hundreds of teachers volunteered for Kathleen Wynne for many reasons.

As Minister of Education in the McGuinty government, she proved to be an active listener with a strong desire to work with all the education stakeholders. Discussions were always respectful even when there were disagreements. Her commitment to publicly- funded education and her respect for teachers created a positive atmosphere and a constructive relationship.

It has been a long time since the teachers in this province worked to re-elect a minister of education. This is a reflection of a political maturity that began on that cold November day in 1997.

We understand that we won’t always get everything we want or need. But we can work with politicians if they treat us with respect and are dedicated to the improvement of publicly-funded education.

Unfortunately, strengthened activism may soon be needed again to help protect Ontario’s publicly-funded Catholic schools. The John Tory proposal for faith-based schools opened a Pandora’s box. The public reacted negatively to the proposal as soon as it was advanced. The media sensed a lively story that was rich in conflict, and fanned the embers whenever it threatened to die down by keeping it in the papers daily. Many articles and editorials focused on eliminating funding for Catholic schools as the best way to ensure “fairness.”

With the re-election of the McGuinty Liberals, the Catholic community may feel relieved. In his letter to OECTA President Elaine Mac Neil, Premier Dalton McGuinty confirms that the Ontario Liberal Party is committed to continuing the province’s publicly-funded school systems.

Nonetheless, the Catholic community should be prepared for ongoing debate on this issue. Having basked in the spotlight, many lobby groups and fringe parties will continue to agitate for change in the funding of our school system, either through extension of funds or elimination of the Catholic system.

It is imperative that OECTA and the Catholic community prepare to address the questions as they emerge. Political activism has never been so important.

PD opportunities

The Professional Development department at OECTA Provincial is committed to providing our members with valuable, sustainable and accessible professional learning opportunities. To this end, we encourage OECTA members to participate in upcoming professional learning activities by:

• submitting proposals to the Collaborative Learning Community project. To apply visit www.oecta.on.ca and follow the links.
• accessing keynote addresses presented by Thomas Armstrong, Sam Intrator and Shannon Hogan at the March 2007 Teachers as Leaders Symposium.
• browsing the For Teachers by Teachers: AQ Courses and Professional Development 2007-2008 Calendar, distributed to all schools through your OECTA School Representative.

The next time you visit your doctor’s office, take notice of the degrees and certificates hanging on the walls. You should do the same and display your degrees in your classroom. Be proud of the hard work and many years that you have spent studying and preparing for your profession. Teachers are wonderful examples of life-long learners whose level of expertise is strengthened by questioning, evaluating and improving their skills.

As much as teaching is a collaborative process between you and your principal, colleagues and parents, you are the expert in the classroom. Backed by sound research and proven instructional methods, you have the responsibility and the right to assert your professionalism and defend what you know is pedagogically sound.

Teachers may sometimes feel pressured to teach the curriculum as though following a script, even though they know that teaching is an art and a science that is influenced by the dynamics that develops between them and their students.

Does “basic literacy” define what you do as a teacher? Of course not. Teachers are leaders in instruction and assessment, and advocates for social change, which they do through sharing best practices with peers, research and writing opportunities, and attending and presenting at professional conferences and workshops.

OECTA encourages and supports members to develop through self-directed professional learning. Conferences such as Teachers as Leaders and Health and Safety, and workshops on Pensions, Collective Bargaining, and Parliamentary Training are among the many opportunities for leadership training and professional development offered year round. Information about all of these is posted at www.oecta.on.ca.

OECTA supports your professional right to question new initiatives in the field of education and bring all your professional judgment and expertise to bear to foster real learning in your classroom.

Spirit of Mandela focuses on forgiveness

The tenth anniversary of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (Canada) takes place in 2008. Launched on September 25, 1998 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre (SkyDome) with a crowd of over 40,000 school children, the Fund is still growing and fulfilling its mandate to raise awareness and funds for impoverished South African children and youth from birth to 22 years of age.

Against a backdrop of poverty and underdevelopment South Africa faces many serious hardships, including:

• HIV/AIDS, which is destroying the social fabric and damaging the bedrock of communities.
• Violence and abuse of children.
• Huge non-delivery of Early Childhood Development (ECD), depriving the majority of children of opportunities to develop critical social skills early in life.
• Marginalization and inequitable provision for disabled children and youth.
• Unemployment and crime, which subject children and youth to poverty and violence.

In the face of these struggles, the Fund works closely with other development organizations, government, the private sector and other groups, including OECTA, to bring positive change and opportunities to the country.

Most recently, OECTA donated $10,000 on behalf of members to the “Tribute to Nelson Mandela” event held in Toronto on October 17, 2007. The event was the Canadian premiere of the documentary film “Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation.”

One example of the Fund’s many success stories is the Vukani-Ubuntu Community Development Project www.vukani.co.za. It is a non-profit organization that provides skills training in the jewelry industry for young disadvantaged black South Africans. This entrepreneurial effort applies the fair trade principal of economic empowerment for the economically disadvantaged to the mainstream jewelry world.

In April 2008, the Spirit of Mandela Event will coincide with Freedom Day in South Africa on April 27. The event will be an opportunity for students in every Catholic school in Ontario to participate and help the Fund achieve its three goals: to raise significant funds for children and youth in South Africa; to have a lasting impact on students in Canada by inspiring them through Nelson Mandela’s positive messages of forgiveness, equity, freedom and justice; and to encourage students to get involved in the event by making a difference locally and internationally through fund-raising and volunteering. The focus message for 2008 will be forgiveness.

For more information visit www.mandela-children.ca.

International Teaching Exchange
An opportunity of a lifetime...
By Melita Gapes

Melita Gapes, is an Australian teacher currently on exchange at St. Vincent's School in the Halton Catholic District School Board. Her Canadian partner, Annie Soukup, is teaching in Holy Family Primary School in Kelso, New South Wales, Australia. Their teaching exchange was organized by the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation, www.ceef.ca.

It’s cliché I know, but this really has been a wonderful opportunity for my family and me to live and experience a different culture for twelve months. Having never travelled abroad before, we have taken every opportunity to “experience” what is being offered.

I am on exchange in Oakville. As I drive to work along the shoreline and as the sun is rising over Lake Ontario, I wonder what interesting and new thing I will learn today. School life has been a different experience, allowing me to teach as a Planning Time Teacher for the year. I teach Grades 1, 2 and 3 Social Studies and Science. What better opportunity to learn about the Ontario early settlers? So, as we travelled through the summer and visited all the tourist spots, we had more knowledge about the place and its people.

The nine weeks of ‘summer vacation’ were a fantastic opportunity to explore this great country and its landscapes, from the Banff and Jasper National Parks, across the Prairies and northern lakes to Nova Scotia and the famous Cabot Trail at Cape Breton. We still did not cover half of the countryside.

Winter greeted us after we arrived and provided many opportunities for family fun in the snow. Spring brought new life to many things and summer... holidays! Finally we have met fall and all the magical colours in the countryside, along with Thanks-giving and Halloween.

We have made some great friends both Canadian and other fellow exchangees: Australian, Scottish, English and Swiss. We are now on the downhill run and still there is so much we wish to explore and conquer before we depart.

The Canadian Education Exchange Foundation is a registered non-profit foundation mandated by the ministries and departments of Education of BC, NB, NS, Ontario and PEI to facilitate international and inter-provincial reciprocal teacher exchanges.

Teacher exchanges provide an amazing opportunity for personal and professional growth through a year of teaching and living in another system and culture.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2008/2009 school year. Catholic teachers are particularly in demand in Australia! For destinations, details and an application, visit www.ceef.ca, email cwilk@ceef.ca, or call 705-739-7596.

2007 OTF Fellows

The OTF Fellowship was inaugurated in 1964 to commemorate OTF's 20th anniversary. Fellowships are awarded for outstanding service to education and/or to the Federation and achievement in affirmative action. This year’s fellows are: Back Row L to R: Rhonda Kimberley-Young, OSSTF; Claudia Guidolin, AEFO; Charlotte Morgan, ETFO; Hilda Watkins, ETFO; Donna Marie Kennedy, OECTA; and Jacqueline Jean-Baptiste, AEFO. Front Row (Seated) L to R: Jim McMahon, ETFO; and Terri Taggart, OECTA.

Called by Name - OECTA's Anti-Bullying Symposium

Bullies thwarted by “simple and powerful” actions

Bullying is experienced and witnessed by people around the world. People are persecuted for many reasons – because they are poor, for the colour of their skin, they are disabled, speak a different language or even for the clothes they wear. Unchecked, bullying can lead the bully to violent crime and the bullied to harm themselves or others.

To address the issues of bullying in our schools, OECTA organized an anti-bullying symposium in September and is offering bullying prevention workshops in 2008 to inform, support and empower teachers to create a safe and caring environment in which to learn and to work.

Celebrate Anger: Angela Jackson

A former teacher who has been a motivational speaker for more than 25 years, described her struggles with bullying and anger for delegates. Her audiences learn that Jackson had a lot to be angry about but that she has learned to manage her anger.

When her father disappeared, Jackson’s mother placed her in foster care. Though she had promised it would be for just a few weeks, it took seven years before she saw her now alcoholic mother again. During her time in foster care, she had been bullied emotionally, physically and sexually, and coped by pretending it wasn’t happening. The beating continued when she was reunited with her mother.

To avoid her feelings of abandonment, Jackson buried herself in her passion for books and movies, but later turned to alcohol. When her marriage ended, she realized she had become a bully, “puffed up by anger and aggression to hide how small I felt inside.”

She had abused her own children when her own anger and hurt overtook her.

While Jackson acknowledges that bullying is an ugly reality that affects us all, she also believes that bullies can be rehabilitated. No one should be punished indefinitely, she says. “We need to have compassion for people with imperfections.” It took support and help from her daughter to enter a recovery program and learn to manage her feelings and anger.

“Now I say let’s celebrate anger,” she says, arms wide to embrace her audience. “Anger is a very human emotion that moves through us and out, she saying placing emphasis on the word ‘motion.’ Anger helps us marshall our resources to fight injustice, do something humane.”

We must learn how to use anger and then to let it go. Jackson recommends anger interventions to try alone or with students and colleagues and parents:

• The 3-second scream: try it at staff meetings, with your kids, at parent-teacher interviews.
• Draw your anger.
• Write a letter and rip it up or hit the delete button.
• Sing out your anger: “Anger is my friend, it shows me where to go, it helps me grow.”
• Do the anger dance: have a mini tantrum.

Jackson advises that prayers, such as the Serenity Prayer, can help: “I can’t change you, but I can change myself and approach things from a loving perspective.”

Change Bullying Behaviour: Barbara Coloroso

Bullying is a three-part tragedy in which each of us plays an active role as either the bully, the bullied or the bystander, says Barbara Coloroso, a former Franciscan nun, a teacher and the author of three international bestsellers: Kids are worth it!, Parenting Through Crisis, and The Bully, The Bullied And The Bystander.

It is inevitable that children fight, she says. Conflict is normal, she says. Bullying is abnormal behaviour, and needs full attention from families, schools and communities.

Coloroso advises against interpreting bullying as teasing, or as the natural behaviour of “boys being boys.” Instead parents and teachers must learn to identify bullying and seek to change the behaviour of each of the players involved. “Pay attention, get involved and never look away from what children are doing.”

The Bully
Bullying behaviour is repeated, aggressive behaviour intended to harm someone by one person or a group of people, says Coloroso. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, the two students who went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in 1999, were bullied by football players at their school. In response, the bullied became bullies whose hurt and frustration transformed into hatred, contempt and violence.

The way society treats bullies will influence what kind of people they will grow up to be and what kind of lives the rest of us will live, Coloroso says. Our goal must be to reform the bully, rather than isolate and punish. “Show kids what they have done wrong and give them as much ownership of the problem as they are able to handle,” Coloroso says. Create opportunities for them to be better, nurture empathy, and channel their anti-social behaviour into positive leadership activities.

The Bullied
The one thing bullied children have in common is that they are targets, Coloroso says. They are picked on because they are different in some way. Kids who are bullied don’t tell because they’re ashamed; afraid of retaliation; don’t think anyone can help, or will help or that they aren’t worth helping.

Bullied children need to know it’s not their fault, Coloroso insists. Telling is not tattling and they should report bullying incidents to their teacher and their parents. Coloroso advises the bullied not to fight back. Being the victim of bullying isn’t the same as being in a fight. Retaliation could intensify the bullying. Instead, the bullied need help to make other friends, join groups and learn to believe in themselves.

The Bystander
There is no such thing as an innocent bystander, says Coloroso. They are the supporting cast who perpetuate bullying by watching, looking away, or by actively encouraging the bullying.

Since bystanders are present in the majority of bullying incidents, these children have a powerful role to play to show bullies that they will not condone or tolerate such cruel behaviour. Bystanders should be encouraged to become active witnesses and peacemakers who stand up to bullies.

Teachers and parents
Adults must acknowledge that children’s feelings are real and legitimate without passing judgment on those feelings. Teach children to handle their own feelings honestly and assertively. Create a school climate in which all kids believe they have worth, are capable human beings who respect the rights and needs of others, and who can resolve conflicts nonviolently.

Male Violence: Dr. Peter Jaffe

“The number one problem in our society is male violence,” Dr. Peter Jaffe told delegates in his keynote address. “It’s a painful topic about which we are socialized to be silent.”

Dr. Jaffe is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario and the Academic Director of the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children. He has been studying how violence, as portrayed in movies, video games and other elements of electronic media, desensitizes youngsters.

According to Dr. Jaffe, “We now have a generation of media-saturated children who spend more than six hours per day and 45 hours per week engaged in TV, DVDs, CDs, video games and their computers compared to one hour of physical activity.”

The affect of media violence on aggression, he says, is greater than the affect of exposure to lead and the affect of homework on achievement.

He cautions that while humans are usually naturally repulsed about shooting other humans, 94 per cent of video games involve violence that encourages imitation, and notes that armies use technology similar to that used in violent video games to desensitize boys to be soldiers.

Jaffe says that violence is normalized, even glamorized in Canada’s national sport. “I don’t like to see fights in hockey, but it’s a lonely fight,” he acknowledges. “At any local arena you will see teenage boys fighting for the pleasure of adults. It’s hard to challenge the status quo.”

There is even more violence in the home. “Three in 5 children experience violence at home,” he says.
Of 115 recent homicides in Canada, 95 per cent of the victims were women and 95 per cent of the killers were men. Watching violence or growing up with violence shapes children as much as direct violence.

Despite the grim statistics, Dr. Jaffe remains hopeful for positive change.

“We are more able to talk about family violence,” he says, “and to name the problem in all its forms.
For too long we’ve been silent, afraid to name domestic violence because of a fear that we’re betraying our brothers.” In one generation, drunk driving has become socially unacceptable, he says. “Let’s hope that the same will happen with male violence.”

The Spirit Can't be Killed: Nicole Nowlen

Nicole Nowlen was sitting in the school library at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado on April 20, 1999 when two students went on a shooting rampage, killing 12 students and a teacher and wounding 24. Nicole was shot in the stomach and her friend Rachel Scott was left dead.

“Rachel was the first person killed that day,” Nowlen told OECTA delegates. “She was sitting outside when Eric (Harris) and Dylan (Klebold) walked up to her and shot her. One of them asked her if she believed in her God now; she said yes and they shot her again. Rachel stood up to the killers in her death.”

In an interview she gave following the shooting that is posted on her website www.nicolenowlen.com, Nowlen answers a question about whether she planned to return to Columbine to continue high school. She replies, “You bet I am! If I didn't go back because I was scared, then Eric and Dylan have won and I won't let that happen!”

Since the Columbine tragedy, Nicole has been speaking out against violence with “Rachel’s Challenge,” a school outreach program for the prevention of teen violence created by her friend Rachel’s family. The idea for Rachel’s Challenge grew out of an essay that Rachel wrote six weeks before her death titled “My Ethics, My Codes of Life.” In it she wrote:

“Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer. My definition of compassion is forgiving, loving, helping, leading, and showing mercy for others. I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”

Anne Frank was a positive influence in Rachel’s life. Rachel kept a journal as Anne did, both became published authors after their deaths, and both shared messages of hope that resonate with young people world wide.

“What you put out in life is what comes to you,” Nowlen says. She says that Rachel was known in school as someone who reached out to students with handicaps, new students, and those picked on and put down.

Rachel wrote a list of personal challenges to help her become a better person:

1. Eliminate prejudice by looking for the best in others.
2. Dare to Dream – set goals and keep a journal.
3. Choose your influences – input determines output.
4. Kind words – Small acts of kindness make a huge impact.
5. Start a chain reaction with family and friends.

Her determination to reach out to others is the enduring power of Rachel’s Challenge.
Don’t wait to start your own chain reaction of kindness and compassion, says Nowlen, because you never know what tomorrow, or even the next five minutes, will bring. Visit www.rachelschallenge.com

Twelve children of OTIP members win $1,000 bursary

Twelve students have received a $1,000 bursary from the Ontario Teachers’ Insurance Plan (OTIP) Bursary Program. Winners’ names were drawn at random from over 1,000 entries received online at www.otip.com.

To be eligible for the bursary, students must be a child or dependant of an OTIP insured member, and must be enrolled as a full-time post-secondary student at a Canadian college or university for the upcoming academic year.

Bursary student winners: Ryan Brown, Toronto; Anne Runciman, Orangeville; Joshua Bach, Collingwood; Michelle Carter, Penetanguishene; James Kozak, Oakville; Madeleine Mayo, Toronto; Jesse Allin, Burlington; Emily Vander Griendt, Brampton; Jeffrey Armstrong, Owen Sound; Jacqueline Turnbull, Hamilton; Davian Hart, Guelph, and Tricia Leone, Oshawa.

OTIP is a non-profit organization directed by a Board of Trustees comprised of two representatives from each of the Ontario education affiliates (AEFO, ETFO, OECTA and OSSTF). OTIP serves more Ontario education employees than any other insurance provider.

Awards honour exceptional educators

Nominations are open until January 28, 2008, for outstanding educators who deserve a Premier's Award for Teaching Excellence, “a great way to say thank you to the educators and support staff who keep our schools safe and healthy, and who help Ontario's students reach their full potential,” says Education Minister Kathleen Wynne.

Anyone can nominate school or school board staff in Ontario's publicly funded education system in six different categories.

To learn more and download a nomination package, visit www.ontario.ca/teachingawards.