@OECTA - October 2013

In this issue... mpowering Aboriginal communities I E through education

october 2013

I Making sense of political contributions I Bringing history to life I Why we march on Labour Day I Ministry of Education’s new 34-credit policy

www.oecta.on.ca

New year – New Beginning!

OCTOBER 2013 | @ OECTA 1

INBOX

HIGHLIGHTS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Now that you’ve been in class for a month, life may be settling down. I certainly hope so, as the first weeks of school can be testing.

A year into OECTA’s new collective agreements, members are benefiting from two significant improvements in their working conditions. First, teachers can now use their professional judgment in deciding which diagnostic tests, approved by their board, they will use, with which students and when.

Second, occasional teachers now see more James Ryan protection for their career aspirations with the new long-term occasional teacher rosters. The rosters are providing jobs to many qualified OTs who saw themselves passed over for positions under a hiring system that lacked transparency and fairness.

Looking forward to the next round of bargaining, OECTA is preparing for the new bill governing provincial negotiations. Under the legislation, the government will sit with school boards as the “employers” in upcoming provincial bargaining. Many boards were unhappy with the last round and the province’s finances have yet to improve significantly. If the government does not move off its austerity agenda, we will face tough times, at the provincial and local bargaining tables.

OECTA is ready for the challenge. Delegates to our 2013 AGM approved motions from the Provincial Discussion Table Task Force that changed the Association’s collective bargaining by-laws, creating a process to guide us in any kind of provincial bargaining.

The process requires that individual OECTA members be given the chance to vote on any tentative provincial agreement. This is why your Association is asking for your personal email address, so you can be informed and exercise your right to vote on any provincial agreement.

This fall, OECTA will, as usual, be consulting local units in order to develop our systemic and local bargaining objectives. A provincial negotiating team will be named in November that will include members of the Provincial Executive as well as local OECTA representatives. I encourage you to give your local executive any ideas you have so they can better prepare for this process.

Provincial bargaining is also contingent on who governs at Queen’s Park. A minorFollow me ity government can fall or call an election at @OECTAPrez any time. This too will affect how OECTA’s year unfolds. Stay tuned…

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OECTA MEMBER ASSUMES OTF PRESIDENCY Julie Pauletig, OECTA’s OTF Table Officer, was elected in August, 2013 as the 70th president of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF).

During her one-year term, Julie will represent the professional interests of teachers, including their interest, as co-sponsor with the government, in the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

OECTA MEMBERS RECOGNIZED

Each year the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) awards fellowships for outstanding service to education and/or to OTF. This year, Kevin O’Dwyer and Ann Murphy were honoured.

Kevin served as OECTA President from 201113 and also served in every elected position on the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit executive. Ann is a past OTF Governor and served as OECTA’s Council of Presidents representative on the board of the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) for seven years.

Congratulations and thank you to Ann and Kevin for your contribution and service on behalf of OECTA members!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT This year’s biennial Educating for the Common Good Conference addressed the theme “Re-Think”– Challenge Your Traditional Notions of...” and featured Dr. Samantha Nutt, a medical doctor and the Founder/Executive Director of War Child in North America; Gabrielle Scrimshaw, president and co-founder of the Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada; and Paola Gianturco, an American photojournalist and former business executive.

If you were not able to attend the conference, you can watch video excerpts from the keynote addresses at www.oecta.on.ca in the Issues section under Common Good.

TEACHER ON THE JOB Rick Menanno (pictured far right), a technology teacher at St. Edmund Campion Secondary School in Brampton (Dufferin Peel Secondary Unit) with students from his Grade 10 Technology class and aviation consultant Nick Bruzzese. They are proudly standing in front of the Fisher Ultralite they built in his Aviation Manufacturing course between February and June 2013. “It is the first light aircraft that has been built by students within this board,” Rick says. “It’s a great example of 21st century learning where the students develop and practice the skills that are in demand by the aviation industry today. The students were very excited and engaged in the project and devoted many after-school hours to it. What could be better for a high school student than to be able to put on their résumé and in their school portfolio that they built a full-scale, working plane?” The school plans to display the plane in the school’s main foyer. PHOTO CREDIT: BARB FECSER-BRUZZESE EDITORIAL BOARD James Ryan President Michelle Despault Communications Director

Ann Hawkins First Vice-President

Diana Thomson Associate Editor

Marshall Jarvis General Secretary

Delia Tavares Production and Advertising

David Church Deputy General Secretary

Elizabeth Price Website Administrator

Pat McKeown Executive Resource Assistant

@OECTA is published five times during the school year. Opinions and ideas expressed in @OECTA are not necessarily those of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association. @OECTA is a member of the Canadian Educational Press Association, and the Canadian Association of Labour Media. Return undelivered Canadian addresses to: Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, 65 St. Clair Avenue East, Toronto, ON M4T 2Y8 | PHONE 416-925-2493 TOLL-FREE 1-800-268-7230 | FAX 416-925-7764 | www.oecta.on.ca Publication Mail | Agreement No. 0040062510 | Account No. 0001681016

COVER –Children at Saint Gabriel the Archangel school in Barrie (Simcoe Muskoka Elementary Unit) are happy to be back at school. PHOTO CREDIT: SARA VAUSE

Welcome to @OECTA @OECTA is the new publication of the Association. It replaces our previous publication agenda. @OECTA was created from the feedback received from members through the OECTAListens survey panel. Share your thoughts and suggestions for the new publication by emailing us at contact@oecta.on.ca OCTOBER 2013 | @ OECTA 3

INBOX

Majority of members frequently defend their profession with family and friends

By Victoria Hunt

Join the OECTAListens Panel.

Have your say! And be heard!

Ever had to defend having the summer months off? How about explaining exactly what you do to earn your ‘generous’ salary? Well, you’re not alone. In a recent survey of OECTA members, the majority (58 per cent) said that they “frequently” have to promote or defend the teaching profession with their family or friends. An additional 32 per cent said they “occasionally” need to promote or defend their profession.

These responses were gathered from the latest OECTAListens survey conducted last spring, which focused on member engagement. Some other interesting results from the survey include: • A minority of members routinely engage in the spectrum of OECTA’s programs and services beyond reading the Association publication, or visiting the website. Interestingly, those engaged represent the broader membership, that is to say, they are not clustered in a particular demographic or segment group.

• Two-thirds (66 per cent) of members believe OECTA is doing a good or excellent job with respect to the quality of services and benefits offered. There were very few specific suggestions about how OECTA can improve service.

Thirteen per cent suggested better

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communications and advocacy for teachers at the school level.

• 34 per cent would like to see a nonpartisan campaign that focuses on the Catholic system’s holistic approach to learning. Half (51 per cent) say they would get involved in such an advocacy campaign.

OECTAListens is an ongoing survey project designed to give members an opportunity to provide their opinions on a variety of topics relating directly to OECTA. The panel members are anonymous and the surveys are administered by a professional polling company that adheres to the strictest confidentiality standards. The results of the surveys are reviewed by the provincial executive and help provide direction to the Association.

Previous survey topics have included political opinions, concerns about safe schools, EQAO and student assessment. The next survey will focus on the professional needs of members.

Questions will be asked about how OECTA can differentiate the Additional Qualification courses we offer; how to make them more flexible and adaptable; the level of interest in AQs or shorter courses. Other questions will focus on the issue of preparing twentyfirst century learners and the tools teachers need.

We are interested in knowing what topics you would like to see surveyed.

Join the panel and share your opinions and suggestions.

We are listening!

Go to www.oectapanel.ca and follow the prompts.

Victoria Hunt is the Department Head of Government Relations at OECTA Provincial Office.

OECTA President James Ryan (left) made a visit in August to the OECTA-sponsored Summer Literacy Camp at Onigaming First Nation.

Empowering Aboriginal communities through education

By Elizabeth Price

OECTA continues its commitment to the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation by sponsoring the northern Ontario reserve’s Summer Literacy Camp.

As he did at the start of his first term in the summer of 2009, OECTA President James Ryan made the trip to Onigaming this August, one of the first events of his 2013-2015 term. He found the camp continues to be strongly supported by the community, parents, teachers, and especially the elementary student campers in Grades 3 to 7.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my return visit to Onigaming,” said Ryan.

“It’s a beautiful part of Ontario. I am impressed by the energy and dedication of the counsellors as well as the enthusiasm and focus of the campers. The community continues to support the camps as children are not only kept busy during summer vacation, but are also prepared for school in September,” he said.

In Canada, Aboriginal communities face greater challenges to literacy due to isolation, underfunding, and poverty. Summer literacy camps provide opportunities that help next generations prepare for the exponential demand for educated labour in rapidly expanding regional professions, trades and industry.

The Onigaming Camp was started with OECTA funding in 2008 as part of former Ontario Lieutenant-Governor James Bartleman’s Aboriginal summer reading camps initiative. There are now summer reading camps, run by Frontier College, in 80 locations in remote Aboriginal communities across the country, with half in Ontario.

Elizabeth Price is in the Communications Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

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INBOX

CALENDAR @OECTA

PROJECT OVERSEAS MIGHT BE FOR YOU! Here’s a chance for you to combine travel with providing professional development in-service to your colleagues in other countries. OECTA, through the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, sends elementary and secondary teachers to developing countries, mostly in Africa and the Caribbean each year, in July and August. Basic travel and living expenses of participants are covered. Application deadline is November 1, 2013. Application form and Project Overseas experiences shared by OECTA teachers, are at www.oecta.on.ca in the Issues section under Social Justice.

JUST WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR! Upgrade your qualifications and salary, or add another area or subject to your portfolio. OECTA’s AQ courses are online, and face-to-face for FSL Part I and Religious Education. The fee is $600 per course and $500 for Religious Education Part 1. Courses are recognized by the Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario and accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers. Spring AQ course registration opens December 4. Is there a subject you’d like covered in an AQ course?

Let us know through the AQ survey at www.oecta.on.ca CELEBRATE THE CREATIVITY OF YOUR STUDENTS! The 2014 Young Authors Awards program showcases the writing talents of students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 and the teaching talents of their teachers. Categories range from poems and short stories, to plays and non-fiction in both French and English.

The deadline to submit entries to your school’s OECTA association representative is February 1, 2014, so get your students writing today! Learn more about the program and read previous winning entries at www.oecta.on.ca in the Awards section.

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BEGINNING TEACHERS CONFERENCE 2014 Bullying: Stepping Up to the Challenge is the theme of the conference February 21–22, 2014, at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Richmond Hill. For teachers in their first five years. Meet close to 300 OECTA members from across the province and attend workshops, hear speakers, participate in PD, and socialize. Talk to your unit president about attending.

Registration details to come in November at www.oecta.on.ca BRING AN EQUITY AND INCLUSIVITY WORKSHOP TO YOUR COMMUNITY! Continuing on the success of OECTA’s equity and inclusivity conference and regional seminars, local unit workshops are being offered free of charge to assist and support Catholic teachers in building inclusive and safer Catholic School communities for elementary and secondary LGBTQ students. Facilitators are available throughout the school year to offer this professional development. If you or your colleagues would like to have a workshop in your community, speak to your unit president or contact Kevin Welbes Godin, OECTA’s special project coordinator for equity and inclusivity at kevin.w.godin@gmail.com BE VERY PARLIAMENTARY WITH THIS WORKSHOP The Parliamentary Training workshop is for active members of local units who currently hold leadership positions or are aspiring to be leaders within OECTA. Participants will be given a lot of “how to ...” ideas and will learn strategies for running meetings effectively; how to maintain proper debating protocol in deliberative sessions, as well as how to deal with conflict on the floor and challenges to rulings by the chair.

The workshop takes place at provincial office, November 9. Preference will be given to those who have not previously attended an OECTA Parliamentary Training workshop. Speak to your unit president about attending. Registration deadline is October 18.

OCTOBER Health & Safety Regionals Oct. 5 – Nov. 30 | Various locations across the province Leadership Training Program Foundational, Oct. 24 – 25, 2013 and Mar. 27-28, 2014 NOVEMBER Collective Bargaining Regionals Nov. 11 – Dec. 3 | Various locations across the province Bullying Prevention Awareness Week Nov. 17 – 23 | Stand up! (to Bullying) www.bullyingawarenessweek.org Nov. 25 – 29 | Ontario Federation of Labour Convention, www.ofl.ca DECEMBER National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Dec. 6 40th Anniversary of Ontario Teachers’ One-day Strike In an unprecedented show of strength, Ontario teachers from all unions walked off the job across the province on December 18, 1973. Their actions, which effectively shut down almost all schools in Ontario, were to protest the government’s proposed legislation (Bill 274) to further limit collective bargaining. At the time, teachers were governed by the Teaching Profession Act and did not have the right to strike.

To circumvent the Act, all teachers participating in the protest let their principals know that they would “… be absent from school…” that day.

Their walk-out was effective, and led to the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiations Act in 1975, which strengthened bargaining rights for teachers, and gave them the right to strike. Read one OECTA member’s account of the struggle in the November 2012 issue of agenda at www.oecta.on.ca in the News & Events section.

TEACHERS AID

OECTA Advisor Real life situations and solutions

By Joe Pece

Increasingly, the calls that we receive from teachers who have found themselves in difficult situations have an element of electronic communication gone wrong. As communications technology advances and devices become more accessible to students, we see the use of Facebook, Twitter and texting by teachers on the rise. Teachers are using various technologies in their classrooms and subsequently, are communicating with parents and students through a variety of digital mediums, both during and after the school day. These practices can have a negative impact on a teacher’s professional career if the necessary precautions are not taken.

Texting is becoming a dominant form of communication for students and many educators feel that texting is an effective method to engage students. The expansion of the software application or “app” market has also led to increased possibilities for teachers to utilize texting as a form of communication. Recently I was asked about a seemingly great app developed for teachers called REMIND 101. The app is marketed as providing a safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents, but is it?

The developers claim that the app cannot be misused because the communication is to a group, not individuals. They also claim that students and parents cannot reply to the teacher, and therefore, bullying or favouritism is prevented.

Although there may be some positive aspects to the REMIND 101 app, teachers should always be cautious about the electronic communications they send to students and parents. The Ontario College of Teachers’ professional advisory on social media emphasizes that teachers must maintain a professional standard in all their written communications and cautions against texting to individual students, as it can be interpreted as a violation of student-teacher boundaries.

It is important that teachers evaluate the benefits and the potential pitfalls before deciding to utilize any new technology or application.

Here are some things to keep in mind: • Interactions with students, parents, colleagues and administrators are always under scrutiny. Consider whether your use of texting will lead to casual or familiar language and an erosion of professional boundaries.

• Digital files can be saved, copied, printed, or shared with a wider audience than originally intended, and they are likely to be seen out-of-context, which increases the possibility of misunderstanding and potential liability.

• Many boards may have their own policy regarding the use of electronic communications and social media by their staff.

Make sure you are aware of any board policies that govern your behaviour in this regard.

• Be aware of the possibility of increased expectations and workload that could arise. For example, should you be unable to send a text reminder, it is very possible that you will be criticized for not fulfilling a promised expectation.

• Consider the impact on student learning. Would your use of texting disadvantage any students who are not able to receive texts from you? Are you diminishing opportunities for students to build and demonstrate essential learning skills around responsibility, accountability and time management?

The former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt once said: “The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn’t understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.”

Using these new technologies inappropriately can expose teachers to risk when it comes to maintaining professionalism, even when students initiate the electronic interaction. Read the Ontario College of Teachers’ professional advisory on Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media and review OECTA’s social media podcast series, both available at www.oecta.on.ca to ensure that you maintain professional boundaries with students at all times.

Joe Pece is the Department Head for the Counselling and Member Services Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

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TEACHERS AID

Beginning teachers Surviving and thriving in the first five years

By Claire Laughlin

If you prefer a more self-paced learning model, explore key ministry curriculum resources on your own, online at http://bit.ly/aLlBbU. New resources for teachers in the elementary panel include: Social Studies for Grades 1 to 6, and History and Geography for Grades 7 and 8.

An understanding of assessment and evaluation and relevant terminology is key. For teachers in all grades there are resources covering Growing Success – Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools. Visit www.edugains.ca for print and video resources pertinent to AER, Kindergarten, English Language Learners, Financial Literacy, and much more.

As you undertake a career in teaching, many of you will begin as an occasional teacher. Whether you are a daily or long-term occasional teacher, each day or assignment is an opportunity to Claire Laughlin is a Secretariat member in Professional Development learn and expand the knowledge you acquired in the faculty of at OECTA Provincial Office and liaison to the Beginning Teachers education. In either role, or even in a permanent position, it is Committee. important that you continue learning; for your own professional development and to be a model of lifelong learning for your À votre service...pour le soin de votre avenir.

Depuis 1968 students.

One of the first professional development opportunities to Since 1968 Here for you now ... Here for your future. contemplate is an Additional Qualification (AQ) course. OECTA offers a wide range of online courses, and faceto-face courses in Religious Education and French as a Second Language. These courses offer current pedagogy anchored in Ministry of Education documents, professional resources and readings, as 3 Comprehensive health well as best practices from exemplary plans teacher instructors. For many, they also lead to advancement of your QECO 3 Member discounts and opportunities rating. A number of courses, such as English as a Second Language and 3 Customized travel Special Education, can increase your 3 Pension and political qualifications for positions within a advocacy school board. Explore OECTA’s website 3 Volunteer and job www.oecta.on.ca for the full range of opportunities AQ course offerings.

3 Our award-winning It is equally important for teachers in Renaissance magazine daily or long-term occasional roles to stay 3 Guaranteed travel current in pedagogy, interview strategies coverage at no additional and future teaching assignments. Your cost Occasional Teacher Bargaining Unit president can arrange for an ‘interview workshop’ by staff from OECTA’s Professional Development department.

The workshop will help local members improve interview skills in preparation for a future interview, or following an Sign up for a Retirement interview that did not result in being Win your Planning Workshop near you. hired. Workshops are also available to help teachers who have been on www.ero-rto.org/rpw-schedule-list the occasional roster for a while, to with Merit Travel!

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8 @ OECTA | OCTOBER 2013

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TAKE NOTE

Professional insight Dealing with those everyday issues

By Doug McCarthy

“ ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’ – is good advice. Our children will learn to respect others if they are used to imagining themselves in another’s place.”

This quotation from rabbi and author Neil Kurshan builds on an ancient proverb usually attributed to First Nations peoples; that we are not in a position to criticize another if we have not walked a mile in their moccasins. However, Kurshan takes it to another level. Not only can this piece of wisdom help make us less judgmental of others, it can also teach us to respect others.

Respect comes from recognizing that other people have a right to their own beliefs, values and mind set, resulting from the experiences they have encountered in life. Respect recognizes that each of us functions in the world according to our own perception or model of the world. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey writes about the tendency of inserting our autobiography into a conversation and interpreting what the other person is saying on that basis.

A more empathetic approach would be to first seek understanding of the other person’s perspective.

Respectful awareness may also be needed when we think that a conversation to resolve differences is being made more difficult because of the other person’s failure to engage in what we would consider a productive manner. In reality, the other person may be doing the best he or she can with the knowledge and skills available to him or her. What we may be observing is not resistance but adaptive behavior as the person tries to respond to a challenging situation. And, there may have been challenges in our lives when we have felt the same way and done the same thing. If we could step back from the points we are trying to make, we might find in ourselves the ability to empathize more with the other person.

Another reality is that the other person you are in conversation with might be thinking that you are blocking resolution of an important issue. In Difficult Conversations, Douglas Stone et al note that while we are thinking they are the problem, they are thinking we are the problem. To continue to argue without first developing some understanding of how each person “sees” things is unpersuasive and frustrating for both sides.

So, as adults, we can realize the truth from Kurshan’s quote, that we will learn to respect others if we are used to imagining ourselves in their place.

Doug McCarthy is a retired OECTA member and principal, and is currently a member of OECTA’s Speakers’ Bureau.

THE WORLD IS YOUR CLASSROOM – SAME VOCATION! DIFFERENT LOCATION! Live and teach in another country for a year while remaining employed and paid by your Canadian board and retaining all benefits.

The Canadian Education Exchange Foundation, as mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Education, facilitates reciprocal teacher exchanges to the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales), Denmark, France, Switzerland (limited), Germany, Australia and some U.S. states. Applications are now being accepted for the 2014/2015 school year. For information visit www.ceef.ca, or contact cwilk@ceef.ca or call 705-739-7596.

DOWN SYNDROME CLASSROOM RESOURCE Like their peers, students with Down syndrome have diverse abilities and benefit from inclusive learning. The Canadian Down Syndrome Society, in partnership with Civitan International Foundation of Canada, has created an information booklet to assist educators and parents on their journey towards a fully inclusive classroom. It features information on inclusive education, tips on how to best support students with Down syndrome, and real life stories of inclusion from a student with Down syndrome and from a teacher. The Educator Package: A guide to inclusive education for students with Down syndrome is available at www.cdss.ca

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OCTOBER 2013 | @ OECTA 9

PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

Teachers are the bridge between ‘treaty peoples’

By Diana Thomson

Bev Illauq has been fascinated by Aboriginal culture since she was a child. Stories told by an Anglican Archbishop – a close family friend who lived among the Inuit in an area of the Northwest Territories that is now Nunavut – about the indigenous artifacts that filled his home so influenced her life that, at just nine years old, Bev vowed to become a teacher among the Inuit.

She honoured that pledge to herself, and for the past 38 years has taught in Aboriginal communities in Quebec, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and Ontario. She is currently an occasional teacher for Grades K-12 in Kemptville (OECTA Eastern Unit), where she lives with her Inuit family of 12, including in-laws and grandchildren.

“I learned as a child that early interactions between Aboriginal peoples and the Anglican and Catholic clergy were largely positive and mutually beneficial,” Bev says. “The Aboriginal peoples shared their gifts of living in rhythm with nature, survival, the value of human life, and the importance of family. The Euro-Canadian clergy that lived among the Aboriginal peoples learned their language and culture, and became their advocates. The clergy shared the gifts of education and the Gospel values of faith, hope and charity.

“The core, the passion of the teaching profession, is to educate,” Bev explains. “For me, teaching in an Aboriginal community means honouring the history of collaborative connections made by the clergy years before.

“The Aboriginal and non-AbTHE NATIONAL DAY OF original peoples are both ‘Treaty PRAYER for Aboriginal Peoples’,” Bev adds, “who have gifts to offer each other. There Peoples is December 12. are challenges, but teachers, Plan to celebrate in your especially Aboriginal teachers, classrooms the gifts have frequently been the ones and contributions of to help bridge both cultures. the First Nations, Metis “Integrating Aboriginal peoand Inuit peoples. Visit ples into the education system http:bit.ly/15DBOD4 in ways that are meaningful to them must be done in stages,”

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Bev says. “I’ve modeled my teaching style on a fourstage integration process developed over the years through interactions with the communities in which I lived, and especially with my Inuit family members and teaching colleagues.” The four stages are: 1. awareness of the people’s quality world view, 2. inclusion of local history, customs, and traditional knowledge; 3. living into the people’s everyday lives by participating in community events, camping, language learning and friendships with the people, and, 4. collaboration with the leaders of families, elders, various formal and informal community organizations, and to some extent acting as an interpreter between government or economic agencies who are present in the community and the people.

In 1983, Bev jumped at the opportunity to learn Inuktitut by living and teaching in a Baffin community for one year. After meeting her Inuk-hunter husband-to-be on the land, however, she became a member of an Inuit family, and eventually the mother of four children. Bev says that it was at Quluaq School in Clyde River, along with lengthy times on the land, that she was introduced to a more progressive Aboriginal education system, where children naturally learned survival, communication, problem solving and resilience skills particularly from elders and Inuit teachers and their EuroCanadian collaborating colleagues, easily melding land skills and experiences with the school’s curriculum.

Through the 1980s and 1990s the Baffin Divisional Board of Education worked closely with a well-established and dedicated body of Inuit educators and developed a hybrid curriculum for K-12, that aggressively incorporated elders’ traditional wisdom and knowledge.

Bev notes that it is these Inuit teachers, including Eva Arreak, Nunavut’s premier, who are now top-level administrators in Nunavut, and exemplify a community at a highly collaborative stage of integration.

However, like many Aboriginal communities in the recent past, Clyde River was dealing with serious problems. Suicide, as a result of abuse and trauma, was high among teens and young adults. Spurred by a need to be authentic in her teaching and address some of the issues her students were presenting, Bev upgraded her qualifications over the years to include certification as a Reality Therapy

counsellor, training in understanding both autism spectrum disorder and Irlen syndrome (a condition affecting the brain’s ability to process visual information). She is also a laughter instructor.

In 1996, she put teaching aside temporarily to become the community’s founding director of the Ilisaqsivik Family Resource Centre, a grass-roots, collaborative, community education and activity centre based on Inuit values and systems. Fifteen years later, this centre led to the establishment of Piqqusilirivvik, a unique and highly successful cultural (education) centre by the Government of Nunavut with Industry Canada, whose building, program, and operations all reflect the collaborative and non-hierarchical style of traditional Inuit educational values.

As non-Aboriginal Canadians, we need to live into our heritage as ‘Treaty People’ and use the currency of Love and Truth as they are exemplified in the Gospel, as explained in Benedict XVI’s Encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate,” to form the generative and fruitful connections we are meant to have with our First Nations, Inuit and Métis brothers and sisters.

What teachers can do

Bev believes that the most important role for schools today is to make all children feel they are safe, understood and that they belong to a compassionate community, adding that: • Teachers can encourage Aboriginal children to share their stories to learn more about their culture, as well as take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the education system.

• In our classrooms use the numerous films, YouTube videos, novels and poetry produced by Canadian Aboriginal peoples.

• Get over our fear of Aboriginal people, their unique languages and world views. To do that, we need to consult with them in their communities to develop meaningful and collaborative relationships.

What Aboriginal parents want

As a parent of four Inuit children, four Inuit/First Nations grandchildren and three First Nations sons-in-law, Bev believes she can speak to what Aboriginal families need from the education system.

“It’s important that I be asked about Aboriginal teaching for my child,” she says. “I want the administration and teachers to be open to input from me so that I can have confidence in the system.

“I need to see in programs and libraries alike, authentic representations by and about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis through their own writers, artists, dancers, poets, teachers.

“I want the curriculum to be transparent to me as an Aboriginal parent, and be culturally correct for my children.

“I believe that when education systems are collaborating with Aboriginal parents and communities, our Aboriginal students will succeed.”

Diana Thomson is the Associate Editor in the Communications Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

Such connections are characterized by a balanced sharing of knowledge, respect, solidarity and responsibility, between equals who have a profound understanding of truth, allowing compassion to cast out fear, hope to replace despair and faith in God to propel individuals, families, communities, and even governments, into a full and abundant life.

As non-Aboriginal Canadians, we are just beginning to discover this heritage.

- Bev Illauq

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PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

Labour champion receives Canada’s highest honour Paul Cavalluzzo named to the Order of Canada

By Michelle Despault

Paul Cavalluzzo is one of Canada’s leading constitutional and labour lawyers.

Paul’s career to date is impressive and includes arguing significant cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. He has acted as lead commission counsel in high-profile public inquiries, including the Walkerton and Maher Arar inquiries, and is consistently rated as one of the leading lawyers in Canada. Paul is also OECTA’s legal counsel and a strong advocate for unions and Catholic education.

His appointment to the Order of Canada, awarded by the Governor General of Canada, recognizes his dedication to the pursuit of social justice in Canada as a constitutional and labour lawyer.

Since his earliest association with OECTA more than 30 years ago, Paul has consistently supported and defended the rights of Catholic teachers by defining working conditions and the scope of denominational rights, as well as pushing for equity, inclusivity and social justice.

Throughout his career, Paul has been extensively involved in constitutional litigation concerning educational and denominational rights.

This includes successfully arguing cases on the constitutionality of extending full funding to Roman Catholic Separate Schools and defeating the Ontario Government’s 1997 injunction application to force teachers back to work during the political protest over Bill 160.

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“Paul has been instrumental to our Association and our members in advancing and defining our rights as Catholic teachers,” says OECTA President James Ryan. “He is not just someone we contract to do work for us, he is part of the Association’s history and an integral member of the OECTA family. Paul has a proud legacy within our organization, and I can honestly say we would not be where we are today without him.”

Paul’s expertise is highly sought after by many other trade unions and professional organizations. This past year he successfully argued a case dealing with the rights of farm workers to bargain collectively under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Paul is both brilliant and humble, and it is the unique combination of these two attributes that contributes to his success,” says Marshall Jarvis, OECTA’s General Secretary. “He approaches issues systematically and there is a calmness in his demeanor that illustrates his complete control of a situation. And he never seeks the limelight – he is truly there to assist others.”

In 1988, Paul received an Honorary Membership from OECTA. In 2010 he was awarded an OTF Fellowship, and in 2012 he was inducted into the Order of Ontario.

Michelle Despault is Director of Communications at OECTA Provincial Office .

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VIEWPOINT

Making sense of political contributions

By Cheryl Fullerton

O

ccasionally I am asked why OECTA would make a financial contribution to a political party that seems to be opposed to what we stand for, and why we go to political fundraising events at all. In compliance with the Election Finances Act, OECTA attends a wide range of political fundraisers for each of Ontario’s three main political parties – the Liberals, the New Democrats and the Progressive Conservatives.

Whether these contributions allow OECTA to enhance its brand by sponsoring an event, hosting an information booth at a political convention or having OECTA representatives attend a dinner or reception, they all provide opportunities to build relationships with MPPs, ministers and their advisors. Later, when official meetings occur, established relationships mean that discussions on serious topics can be more fulsome and frank.

Local unit executives are also encouraged to purchase tickets to political fundraisers for all parties so that unit representatives can participate on behalf of their members. Building relationships with politicians and their advisors at the riding level is an opportunity to be a reli-

14 @ OECTA | OCTOBER 2013

able first-hand source of information about issues in local classrooms and communities – issues that matter to MPPs, teachers, students and parents, who are also voters.

According to Peter Landry, vice-president of government relations and research with Enterprise Canada, building relationships and maintaining OECTA’s profile with all political parties is a strategic must. “Teacher affiliates and other unions are present at political functions to bring forward their messages,” he explains. “It’s a sound strategy for OECTA to be there and be part of the conversation, ensuring that your members’ voices are heard.”

Under the Election Finances Act, the costs to attend these events are considered political donations. Financial contributions support the established, democratic process in Ontario, and help all parties run campaigns and pay for advertising during elections. While the current system may not seem perfect, it is transparent and provides a level playing field for all who choose to play an active role in the political process. “Real time” public disclosure requirements mean that political contributions are posted on the Elections Ontario website within 10 days of a political party depositing the donation. Contrast Ontario’s

process with the unaccountable campaign financing regime that exists in the United States, where there are no limits on fundraising and lobbyists play a far greater role in public policy development than many believe is appropriate.

Talking with MPPs who do not share our goals can be uncomfortable, but it is important to break down barriers and establish some kind of relationship. Where we disagree on issues, it is through respectful dialogue that we can attempt to move political decision-makers away from policies that do not align with our objectives and towards others that may be more mutually acceptable. If provided with opportunities to build relationships with politicians, some might not be so quick in the future to label teacher union leaders as “self-serving,” but rather may see them as valuable partners.

Read about the issues OECTA is advocating for in our five new When You Speak For Children position papers at www.oecta.on.ca

Cheryl Fullerton is a Secretariat member in Government Relations at OECTA Provincial Office.

Members of the Bruce-Grey Elementary Unit (above) and Mary Witko from Toronto Elementary Unit were among OECTA members marching in local Labour Day parades.

WHY WE MARCH

Remembering the history behind the holiday

By James Ryan

For many, Labour Day is simply recognized as the last long weekend of the summer. It’s a time to take one last camping trip, to close up cottages, and to lament the pending return to routine schedules that the fall brings.

For others, Labour Day is a time to celebrate our constitutional rights and the advances that have been made in the workplace. It’s a time to reflect upon how a movement that started for the benefit of a handful of workers has grown to have a profound impact on our entire society. It’s a time to reinforce our collective responsibility to protect the gains made for future generations.

The rights that OECTA members and other working people enjoy today did not come easily – they were incrementally gained over the past 140 years, through constant struggle. A key event in that struggle occurred in April 1872, when a parade was held to release the 24 leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union, who were arrested for striking for a nine-hour workday (striking and unions were illegal then). A few months later, seven other unions staged a similar demonstration in Ottawa, prompting Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald to pledge to repeal all anti-union laws. Labour Day, as it became known, was originally held in the spring but moved to the fall after 1894. The Labour Day parades and picnics of the 1880s soon became commonplace in many Canadian cities, and continue to this day.

In the early years of the 20th century, working people in Canada were in a much different position than they are today. The average Canadian worker in 1900 earned about $1/day. Industrial and mining jobs were prevalent and were particularly dangerous; the hours long in often unhealthy and hazardous conditions, and job security non-existent. Women workers were paid significantly less than their male colleagues, and when women married, their jobs and careers were terminated.

In the early 1900s it was common for the army to intervene in strikes. The Canadian legal system placed a higher value on property rights than it did on employee or human rights. Employers were

permitted to use strike-breakers and armed guards. During strikes governments often proclaimed martial law and made liberal use of the Riot Act. Collective bargaining was not properly recognized in Ontario until after the United Auto Worker strike of 1937. This is when Justice Ivan Rand made a landmark legal decision and granted unions compulsory member dues. Following this decision, now known as the Rand Formula, there was a significant expansion of union membership in Canada. The 1940s saw a significant expansion in public sector unions, and in 1944, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association was founded, and would eventually become the largest Catholic union in North America. By 1950, over 30 per cent of Canadian working people were unionized. In 1956, the Canadian Labour Congress was founded.

In 1982, Canadian unionization achieved its highest peak at 38.6 per cent. Today, 30.8 per cent of Canadian employees are unionized.

For decades unions have been at the forefront of the fight for justice. In Canada, unions were the most prominent campaigners for the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, unemployment insurance, healthcare, child labour laws, minimum wage laws, and the 44-hour work week. In the United States, the UAW was the major funder of the 1963 civil rights march in Washington, D.C. and unions were the biggest proponents of ‘Obamacare’. Polish unions brought down their country’s Communist dictatorship. In South Africa unions were vital in the struggle to end Apartheid.

Today, Canadian unions remain among the most ardent supporters of equity, social justice and progressive policies that work to raise the level of everyone in society.

THIS IS WHY WE MARCH. James Ryan is president of OECTA.

OCTOBER 2013 | @ OECTA 15

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VIEWPOINT

Bringing history to life, literally Three OECTA members recreate life in a War of 1812 regiment

By Robert Smol

Greg Carraro, Ryan Dollimore and I are teachers from the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit. We are also among the founding members of the 2nd Regiment of York Militia (Thompson’s Company), a War of 1812 re-enactment regiment. Thompson’s Company has a mandate to educate, promote and re-enact the history of the war through the lives of militia volunteers from historic Mississauga.

The company functions, in part, as an educational component of Heritage Mississauga by presenting military re-enactments at community events.

“It’s exciting to bring Canada’s history to life ” says militia Captain Greg Carraro, the commanding officer and regiment co-founder. “Part of teaching history effectively is to spark imagination and what better way to do that than to physically re-create and re-enact not just battles, but also the lifestyle that surrounded the men and women of the period.”

To help achieve this objective, each member of the regiment is required to know the life story of select officers and men of the same rank who served during the war with the United States.

Members convey these stories at various planned events through dramatized monologues.

“As a re-enactor I don’t just academically understand the strategy of the battle, but I’m learning to understand what it was like to physically get up at certain times in the morning, to drill in cold temperatures, or to wear a wool uniform in the middle of July and march a fair distance,” Carraro explains.

Depicting the period’s method of combat requires members of the unit to attend regular drill and training sessions at Fort York in Toronto where they learn 19th century British marching and weapons handling methods.

“It was a very difficult and uncomfortable life in many ways,” says Private Ryan Dollimore. “But, as a militia re-enactor, you quickly accept the hardships so that you can assume the role and even the identity of a soldier in 1812.”

Even with over 20 years as an infantryman and officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, I find that 1812 soldiering presents unique challenges. For example, the drill movements of that time are completely different from what I practice today, so it was difficult at first for me not to fall into the drill pattern that is so ingrained in my head. As well, loading and firing an 1812 musket is more intricate and problematic than loading and firing a modern-day weapon.

Weapons drawn! (l-r) Captain Greg Carraro, Private Ryan Dollimore and Lieutenant Robert Smol re-enact the War of 1812 as members of the 2nd Regiment of York Militia.

PHOTO CREDIT: MARGARET PETRIK

The 2nd Regiment of York Militia was one of several nonpermanent army units that the British mobilized in Canada at the start of the war. The regiment’s recruiting base comprised the area along Lake Ontario from modern-day Mississauga to Hamilton.

While serving in the militia was mandatory for all fit males of the period, the 2nd Regiment of York, like its counterparts, relied mainly on volunteers who were willing to take on additional time commitments and training to serve in Flank Companies. These companies served on a rotating basis with short-term commitments usually lasting a month or two at various times of the year.

This practice made the often volatile balance between commitments to army service, farms, businesses and family more palatable.

The regiment saw service at the capture of Detroit in August 1812 and the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812. The regiment was also part of the British frontline during the Battle of Lundy’s Lane on July 25, 1814, the single most costly battle of the war. Ten members of the regiment are known to have died in the line of duty either by military action, disease, or as prisoners of war.

“If not for the sacrifices of the War of 1812 soldiers, Canada would either not exist, or if it did, it would be in a very diminished capacity,” says Dollimore. “This is part of who we are as a nation and obviously, it has to be remembered going forward.”

To get involved with Thompson’s Company or learn more about Heritage Mississauga, visit www.heritagemississauga.com Robert Smol is a teacher with the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit, who also works as a freelance journalist and columnist.

OCTOBER 2013 | @ OECTA 17

VIEWPOINT

Ministry of Education imposes new 34-credit policy Educators concerned change could lead to an increase in dropout rates

By Claire Laughlin

As of this September, the Ministry of Education is changing the way school boards will be funded for students who have received the required 30 credits to graduate, but choose to earn 34 or more credits. Since the move to the four-year curriculum in 2003, the Ministry of Education has been fully funding students who return to take additional credits.

However, with this new policy, those students will now be funded at the reduced “continuing education” rate. The new 34-credit threshold policy does not apply to students: • who are taking their 34th credit attempt and have not achieved 30 credits needed to graduate; • with Individual Education Plans (IEPs); • who are enrolled in their first four consecutive years of secondary school regardless of whether they have earned more than 34 credits; • who are 21 years of age or older; or • who are not enrolled in day school (that is, pupils enrolled only in continuing education such as night school courses).

The change was made to have school boards encourage students to earn their diploma in four years. The ministry’s website says, “We want Ontario students to earn their high school diploma in four years whenever possible – which is the norm in Canada and the United States…

The vast majority of students should be able to earn the 30 credits they need to graduate in four years.”

Many educators, however, are concerned that the change in funding

18 @ OECTA | OCTOBER 2013

will encourage students to pursue summer school, night school and e-learning outside of the school day. The result of the ministry’s incentive to “graduate within four years” could mean an increase in the dropout rate and fewer jobs for teachers.

OECTA believes the new policy overlooks the needs of students who do not fit this one-size-fits-all solution, and jeopardizes their chances of graduating.

OECTA’s Secondary School Committee has examined the ministry’s data, which reports that in 2010-2011, 7.9 per cent of students enrolled in English Catholic school boards earned more than 34 credits.

While the four-credit requirement for Religious Education accounts for a small part of that percentage, the committee believes that a change in career goals, postsecondary pathways and family situations more accurately explains why students are pursuing more than 30 credits.

By the government’s own data, it’s clear that the majority of students are graduating within four years. However, for those who do choose to take additional credits, they should be encouraged to explore their options in high school. If students are completing appropriate and relevant credits, how is this a bad thing?

Students who leave high school without a diploma will be less likely to pursue postsecondary education, and run the risk of getting into a cycle of low-paying jobs and dropping out of school altogether.

There are some students whose postsecondary school options will be limited because of the policy. Consider a student who had difficulty transitioning to high school and took a year or two to settle in. Or, a student who, midway through high school, decides against attending university or college to instead pursue an apprenticeship program. For students who live in poverty or in a low income family, taking more than 34 credits to improve their grades could help make applying for scholarships or other opportunities possible. There are also students who choose an entirely different pathway because of a unique experience, such as a cooperative education placement.

“OECTA is urging the ministry to reconsider the policy,” says James Ryan, OECTA president, “to allow students to access additional choices, such as an additional cooperative education or apprenticeship opportunity, or additional math or science course, in high school rather than in a more costly post-secondary course or program.”

Claire Laughlin is a Secretariat member in Professional Deveopment at OECTA Provincial Office and was liaison to the Secondary Schools Committee.

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