@oecta - September 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015

BACK TO SCHOOL

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS YOU RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM THE DEAL IS (ALMOST) DONE

A WALK THROUGH THE RATIFICATION PROCESS

welcoming a new leader

ann hawkins takes the president’s seat

Paradoxes and conundrums

personal LEADERSHIP AND DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

PLUS:

Meet OECTA’s New Provincial Executive Why the Upcoming Election is Like No Other What the Magna Carta Tells Us About Ourselves

CONTENTS/SEPT 2015 INBOX 4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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UP FRONT

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OECTA’S INDEX / CALENDAR

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OECTA EVENTS

FEATURES 8 WELCOMING A NEW OECTA PRESIDENT Ann Hawkins brings four decades of teaching experience to her new position.

By Christopher Lombardo

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9 THE DEAL IS (ALMOST) DONE We’ve reached tentative provincial agreement. Now it’s time to vote.

By Adam Lemieux 10 AN ELECTION LIKE NO OTHER As teachers, we have a responsibility to get informed and vote.

By Victoria Hunt 13 UNITE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION Participating in Education International is a chance to tackle the big issues.

By Chris Cowley 14 THE MAGNA CARTA IN CANADA What a centuries-old document can tell us about ourselves

By Christopher Lombardo 16 A PROVINCIAL BARGAINING TIMELINE The bargaining road so far: from Bill 122 to August’s tentative agreement

TEACHERS AID

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17 OECTA ADVISOR Reporting Abuse: Teachers and the Child and Family Services Act

By Joe Pece 18 INSIGHT How personal leadership provides a balanced approach to difficult situations

By Doug McCarthy 19 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Kids and online behaviour: The difference between “careful” and “responsible”

By Anthony Carabache 21 LEGAL BRIEF Workers’ rights have been brought to the forefront in a variety of recent legal cases.

By Charlene Theodore 22 BEGINNING TEACHERS A list of resources to help ease the stress of the new school year

By Claire Laughlin

PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

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23 FROM K-CUPS TO COMPLIMENT BOOKS Peter Cameron’s enthusiasm for challenging his students has a positive ripple effect.

By Christopher Lombardo 24 TEACHER’S PET Sharon Douris’ hedgehog is a literary character in her books – and a teaching support.

By Janine Druery 25 MEET THE NEW EXECUTIVE OECTA welcomes the members of its new provincial executive

VIEWPOINT 28 BUILDING FUTURE CITIZENS Teachers play an important role in preparing young Canadians for the voting process.

Article courtesy of CIVIX 29 A LOOK BACK AT BILL 100 Reflecting on the 40th anniversary of our right to strike

By Robert Smol

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30 DEMOCRACY UNDER WRAPS Let’s blow the whistle on the Conservative government’s culture of secrecy.

By Adam Lemieux

inbox

President’s Message

Janine Druery Editor Christopher Lombardo Associate Editor Adam Lemieux Writer/Researcher Fernanda Monteiro Production Anna Anezyris Advertising

Welcome back to another school year!

As a teacher, I have always seen September as a fresh start filled with endless opportunities.

But this year, I have a new assignment as OECTA President, which began on July 1.

After weeks of negotiations over the summer months, and thanks to the dedication and hard work of our Provincial Bargaining team, I signed a tentative agreement at 3:00 a.m. on August 25, and the ratification process is now underway.

As part of our agreement, both sides have agreed to suspend sanctions, which means the school year will begin normally. But if OECTA members or the school boards fail to ratify the tentative agreement, we will move immediately to impose our work to rule action.

Our members have been without a contract for more than one year, and deserve to begin this school term with the reassurance of a tentative agreement. I encourage you to visit our website (www.oecta.on.ca) for detailed information about the agreement, so you can cast your vote with confidence.

While a ratified contract remains a priority, we have already sent a strong message to the Liberal government and OCSTA: that Teachers Matter. Your embrace of this message played a significant role in reaching a settlement, and helped drive attention and support for teachers in the public education system.

Of course, our efforts on this front cannot be confined to the bargaining table.

In July, the Provincial Executive attended the Canadian Teacher’s Federation AGM in Ottawa, as well as Education International’s World Congress, which focused on combatting the commercialization and commodification of education.

This fall, our goal is to elect a labour-friendly government. Your local unit executives will be keeping you informed about federal election activities in your area.

It’s so important that we continue to show the public that Teachers Matter, and I would like to thank you all for your incredible commitment to our students and to Ontario’s Catholic school system.

I wish you all a fun-filled and rewarding year.

Editorial Board Ann Hawkins President Liz Stuart First Vice-President Marshall Jarvis General Secretary David Church Deputy General Secretary Carley Desjardins 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

In solidarity, Cover photo: © Zurijeta / Shutterstock.com

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inbox

UP FRONT OECTA Launches Teachers Matter Campaign

In August, we launched www.teachersmatter.ca as a resource tool for parents regarding issues that could directly affect the classroom. The website provides a clear overview of bargaining table issues, particularly as they pertain to data collection, fair workloads, wages and hiring policies. People are encouraged to visit the site and to use its associated hashtag #teachersmatter when Tweeting support for our membership, and for the teaching profession in general. We want people to raise their hands in support of teachers, because teachers matter. And how they’re treated matters too. Visit www.teachersmatter.ca for more information.

New Additional Qualification Modules

OECTA’s Additional Qualification (AQ) courses are highly relevant, professional development opportunities. By taking these courses, members can learn and enhance instructional skills, qualify to teach other subject areas and even earn a higher salary. Registration is open for the Fall/Winter AQ Courses (September 28 - December 18) and spaces may still be available. Spring 2016 registration opens on December 1. For more information, visit OECTA’s website (www.oecta.on.ca) and access the ‘Courses’ tab.

When Faith Meets Pedagogy

The Catholic Curriculum Council is hosting its 2015 When Faith Meets Pedagogy conference in Toronto on October 22-24 at the International Plaza Hotel. The theme of this year’s conference is “Embraced, Centred and Gathered as God’s Family.” The keynote speaker will be David Wells, Director of the Vicariate for Evangelisation Diocese of Plymouth, England. Delegate registration is now open. More information can be found at the conference site (www.catholiccurriculumcorp.org/conference.html).

Make a Difference With Project Overseas

Want a chance to travel, while providing professional development in-services to colleagues in other countries? OECTA, through the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, sends elementary and secondary teachers to developing countries, primarily Africa and the Caribbean, each summer.

Basic travel and living expenses are covered for participants.

The deadline for applications is November 1. Application forms and program information are available on the OECTA website (www.oecta.on.ca) in the ‘Issues’ section under ‘Social Justice’.

Trade Places and Teach in Australia

OECTA members are invited to trade places for a year with a teacher in an Australian Catholic school as part of an exchange program organized by the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation (CEEF). Visit the OECTA website (www.oecta.on.ca) in the ‘Teaching Opportunities’ section under ‘Career Development’ for more information. To register, contact Carol Wilkins, Teacher Exchange Coordinator via email at cwilk@ceef.ca or phone at 705-739-7596.

Honour is Their Due

Each year, OECTA confers awards on members who have made outstanding contributions to the Association, their students, and their communities.

Nomination forms are now available for the 2016 awards in the following categories: The Marion Tyrrell Memorial Award for Merit (for a member who has made an outstanding contribution to Catholic education or the Association), the Pearse Shannon Memorial Association Service Award (for a current or past president or bargaining unit president who has made an outstanding contribution to the Association), the Life Membership Award (for a member who has devoted his/her professional life to the service of Catholic education) and the Fintan Kilbride Memorial Social Justice Recognition Award (for a member who demonstrates significant personal commitment to the achievement of social justice). Nomination forms are available by emailing awards@oecta.on.ca. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2015.

Hats Off to You!

The Beginning Teachers Conference is being held on October 16-17 at the Toronto Airport Hilton. Beginning Teachers is OECTA's annual conference for occasional and permanent teachers in their first five years. Priority will be given to teachers in their fifth year and teachers who would be attending the conference for the first time. Contact your local unit president to apply.

OTIP ANNOUNCES 2015-2016 BURSARY WINNERS

The winners of the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) 2015-2016 bursary program were recently announced, and seven of the 12 winners are relatives of OETCA members. Each year, OTIP helps 12 lucky students with their post-secondary school costs through its program. This year’s winners are: Jessica Fobert, Cornwall; Stella Mihevc, Toronto; Alexander Varney, Guelph; Andrew Beaulne, Courtice; James Goulas, Toronto; Liam Scanlon, Newmarket and Erica Berry, Toronto. Entries for the 2016-2017 academic year will be accepted online at www.otip.com/bursary from September 1, 2015 to June 15, 2016.

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OECTA’S INDEX

CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER

THE CANADA WE WANT?

By Adam Lemieux 25% 50% 60%

80% 38%

First Day of School SEPTEMBER 8

International Literacy Day SEPTEMBER 8

Approximate percentage of Canadians born in the late 1940s who will see more than a 20% drop in living standards upon retirement Approximate percentage of Canadians born in the late 1960s who will see more than a 20% drop in living standards upon retirement Approximate percentage of Canadians born in the late 1980s who will see more than a 20% drop in living standards upon retirement Average increase in wealth among Canadian families in the top income quintile, 1999 to 2012 Average increase in wealth among Canadian families in the bottom income quintile, 1999 to 2012

Fall AQ Course Registration Closes SEPTEMBER 9

International Day of Democracy SEPTEMBER 15

International Day of Peace SEPTEMBER 21

Fall AQ Course Registration Closes SEPTEMBER 28

0.78 1.10

Median debt-to-income ratio of Canadian families, 1999 Median debt-to-income ratio of Canadian families, 2012

2.6% 1.5% -0.1%

Forecasted 2015 GDP growth for Canada, November 2014 Forecasted 2015 GDP growth for Canada, June 2015 Real GDP growth for Canada, January to March 2015

$500 million

Approximate amount spent by the federal government on advertising, 2009 to 2014

$97 million

Amount of lapsed spending (allocated money not used) by Employment and Social Development Canada, 2013-14

$ 1.1 billion

Amount of lapsed spending by Veterans Affairs Canada, 2006 to 2013

Beginning Teachers’ Conference

82% 33%

Public support for Bill C-51 (“anti-terrorism” legislation), February 2015 Public support for Bill C-51, April 2015

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

OCTOBER International Day of Non-Violence OCTOBER 2

World Teachers’ Day OCTOBER 5

Thanksgiving OCTOBER 12

OCTOBER 16-17

photo: © Gokce Gurellier / Shutterstock.com

OCTOBER 17

When Faith Meets Pedagogy Conference OCTOBER 22-24

NOVEMBER Remembrance Day NOVEMBER 11

Bullying Awareness Week NOVEMBER 15-21 Sources: Angus Reid Institute, CBC, CIBC, Forum Research, OECD, Statistics Canada, Toronto Star Adam Lemieux is the Writer/Researcher in the Communications and Government Relations departments at OECTA Provincial Office.

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International Day of Tolerance NOVEMBER 16

Universal Children's Day NOVEMBER 20

INBOX

OECTA EVENTS Kevin Cameron

Common Good: From Charity to Change

VTRA Training: Understanding Violence in Schools

On July 8 and 9, OECTA welcomed 140 members to its Educating for the Common Good conference in Mississauga. The event, themed “From Charity to Change,” was put on by OECTA’s professional development department and featured an array of engaging speakers.

In June, some OECTA members underwent Stage 1 Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) training, offered by Kevin Cameron, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response.

Keynote speaker Spencer West, who at age five had his legs amputated due to a genetic disorder, inspired attendees with stories about overcoming personal challenges. He discussed his participation on his high school cheerleading team, his numerous charitable endeavours and how he scaled Mount Kilimanjaro.

“A true leader knows how to ask for help,” West told attendees.

He urged members to “Take the time to teach not only the core curriculum, but important life lessons.”

Shannon Moroney, the bestselling author of Through the Glass and a former guidance counsellor, explored issues of restorative justice and recounted the harrowing tale of her husband’s double life, and how he was given “dangerous offender” status and sentenced to life in prison.

And Tariq Fancy, an ex-Wall Street banker, described how he gives kids in the developing world a chance to learn through Rumie. Rumie is a non-profit organization, which distributes instructional tablets to remote areas where education is limited.

During the conference, members split up into different workshops: using Skype in the classroom; collaborative learning tools; mental health and resilience for Catholic school students; art ideas and activities; the importance of gratitude; and virtual field trips through Google+.

The conference drew teachers from as far away as Thunder Bay and each workshop was filled to capacity.

During the training, Cameron gave a comprehensive overview of the warning signs and responses to violent threats by students. He discussed the bully-victim dyad, how threats made by children with special needs are ignored due to compassionate grounds, and the risk and warning signs creeping into overly realistic poetry and drawings.

Cameron broke down the response difference to violent threats, according to whether schools were open (schools in which issues are openly discussed) or closed (schools in which staff is reluctant to broach issues). He cited a link between traumatically closed schools and shootings, noting there are usually warning signs and that shootings rarely happen in a vacuum.

Emphasizing the importance of hard data, Cameron said, “You need to know what kind of school you’re dealing with.

Is management open to discussing things, or are things swept under rugs?”

He explained the key factors in crisis response such as a school’s trauma history, its leadership (or the lack thereof), relations with response teams and requested focus of service delivery.

Cameron discussed how he could predict whether a school is equipped to weather a serious violent threat. In one engaging example, he explained his approach to staff room dynamics: he goes into the staff room and occupies the most comfortable chair. Immediately, he can determine the power dynamics at that particular school.

Cameron underscored the need to look at baseline behaviour: a state of behaviour that is steady in form and frequency. As a constant, it serves as a standard against which to compare the results when a new, independent variable is introduced.

His talk was extremely informative and frequently harrowing.

Members were quoting Cameron’s maxims and came away from the talk with a new sense of understanding about violence in schools.

SPENCER WEST

shannon moroney

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FEATURE

WELCOMING A NEW OECTA PRESIDENT Ann Hawkins brings four decades of teaching experience to her new position.

By Christopher Lombardo

In her native Scotland, Ann Hawkins went through the “11-plus exam,” a pre-teen intelligence test (since discontinued) which determined what sort of education a child would receive thereafter – either academic or skilled trades.

At the headmaster’s insistence, she was pushed into science before switching to history with the encouragement of her parents, who went into the school to advocate on her behalf.

Hawkins went on to earn a history degree at York University and study history as an elective in teacher’s college.

Her father’s eyes were damaged from a bad wartime inoculation so he had trouble seeing in order to cast his vote.

“He marched me to the local school where the election was, and told me ahead of time who to mark that ballot for,” she says.

“That was my first real memory of a political act, marking that ballot for my father so he could put it in a box.”

And speaking of divisive political issues, it was the Mike Harris years that “sealed the deal” and got her involved provincially.

“It’s one of those subjects that people think is all about dates… but listen to the stories,” says Hawkins. “It’s about how we got to where we are, it’s about murder, mayhem and conflict and how we relate to one another.”

In the President’s Seat

While still in college in Scotland, a cousin talked her into coming to Canada for Christmas and she fell in love with the country. Her aunt and uncle sponsored her, and Canada soon became her permanent home.

“I’m honoured that membership put me here and I’m looking forward to a productive term,” says Hawkins. “I’m also looking forward to building relations with teacher affiliates and other unions _ provincially, nationally and internationally.”

Best Job in the World

Among her many goals in the president’s chair: to foster consensus building; to show how important the Ontario Catholic system is; and to remind people that teaching is not like other jobs.

Says Hawkins, “It’s uniquely important as the future of our children is at stake.”

A teacher since 1975 for what is now the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, she most recently taught social science at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Brampton.

“Teaching is the best job in the world,” she says. “I got into my first classroom and figured, ‘Why would anybody want to do anything else other than this?’”

In the staff room of her first school, people started talking about contract negotiations.

“At the time, I was so thrilled to get a teaching job, I hadn’t asked about wages, she says. “Then I discovered the people in the school next door were making more. Then I found out I didn’t have the right to strike.”

In 1975, with the adoption of Bill 100, teachers gained more rights within their profession as the legislation laid the foundation for teachers to finally be able to legally strike.

However, the seeds of her political interest were sown earlier.

“My first political activity was at the age of nine, supporting Winnie Ewing [an avid Scottish nationalist and prominent Scottish National Party political party member].”

According to Hawkins, who was elected to a two-year term as president in March, she had no idea her involvement in the association would lead to such a position.

Hawkins is also very focused on the social justice aspect of her new position.

“Most of the work we do as a union is to service our members, however we do an extremely good job of marrying politics and social justice,” says Hawkins. “We’ve always had a strong drive from grassroots regarding social justice issues.”

And she’s leading by example. She is passionate about promoting human rights and women’s issues, and she represented OECTA several times at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, in New York City.

The mother of three (and grandmother of five) says that being positive in all things is essential in a constantly changing environment. “Positivity is my thing, as you can’t control everything.”

Christopher Lombardo is the Communications Assistant in the Communications Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

feature

THE DEAL IS (ALMOST) DONE Reaching a tentative provincial agreement has not come without its bumps in the road. But the journey is not over until all parties have confirmed they are satisfied with the outcome.

By Adam Lemieux

It has been a long, hard road to get to a tentative provincial agreement between OECTA, the Government of Ontario, and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA).

In the face of the government’s austerity agenda and trustees’ demands for excessive management rights, OECTA members have shown great patience and a firm resolve to defend their profession and working conditions.

But the journey is not over until all parties have confirmed they are satisfied with the outcome, through ratification of the tentative agreement. The government will hold a vote in cabinet, while OCSTA will need to obtain support from a majority of school boards, with votes weighted to reflect the size of the bargaining unit in each board.

Three-Step Process

Our three-step ratification process is laid out in the OECTA Provincial Handbook.

Two days after the tentative agreement was

reached by OECTA’s provincial bargaining team and representatives of the government and OCSTA, it was unanimously approved by the Provincial Executive. The agreement was then distributed to the Council of Presidents, which recommended it for ratification at a special meeting on September 1.

The membership will have the final say in a province-wide ratification vote on September 17. The vote will be held online, in accordance with by-laws passed at the 2013 Annual General Meeting.

By now you will have had time to review the tentative agreement and ask questions about the details. You should also have received your credentials and personal identification number (PIN) that will enable you to participate in the vote. If you have not been receiving updates, or if you have not received your credentials and PIN, please call the provincial office or visit the Members’ Centre at www.oecta.on.ca to find out how to sign up.

Moving Forward

It is up to each member to determine the criteria by which they will judge the agreement, keeping in mind that the bargaining team has arrived at what it believes to be the best possible deal, including a meaningful increase in compensation, solid protection of workplace rights, and respect for teachers’ professional skills and judgement. Also remember that the under the new bargaining process, there are still local issues to be worked out between your local bargaining unit and school board.

The government and trustees have heard the message that teachers matter. The ratification process for the tentative provincial agreement is an opportunity to demonstrate that OECTA will continue to be an engaged, united force going forward.

Adam Lemieux is the Writer/Researcher in the Communications and Government Relations departments at OECTA Provincial Office.

FEATURE

AN ELECTION LIKE NO OTHER As teachers – and democratic citizens - we have a responsibility to get informed and vote.

By Victoria Hunt

“Parliament can hardly be weakened any more than it already is. Harper can’t go much further without making the institution dysfunctional… it will have to be returned to its former state by someone if we are to have a democracy.” ~ Peter Milliken, longest serving Speaker of the House of Commons in Canadian history I have voted in every election since I was of voting age. When I was young, my politics strayed more to the fringes of mainstream politics. I once proudly pointed out that I was one of the 218 votes for the Rhinoceros Party. I felt I had made a difference. At no time did I ever consider not voting. Or think that my vote didn’t count.

As I “matured,” my political frame of reference changed. I reviewed party positions, watched the debates and discussed issues with friends and family.

It might surprise a few of my friends that I once voted PC. But it won’t surprise anyone that I will not be voting for the Harper Conservatives. As October 19 approaches, I have a strange, unnerving feeling that this federal election is different from elections of the past.

Attacking Those Who Disagree

Sure, the economy is a concern and greenhouse gases are high on my agenda. Also worrisome are the attacks on unions, charities, environmentalists, women’s groups – essentially, anyone who disagrees with Harper. Tax cuts have resulted in a diminished role for government, which then provides an excuse for implementing an austerity agenda. I am embarrassed by the deplorable living conditions of so many First Nations people. I dislike American-style political attack ads and I am unconvinced that ISIS is our greatest threat.

But what really scares me is Harper’s attacks on civil liberties and democratic structures. The online paper thetyee.ca has documented 70 examples of how Harper has attacked our freedom of speech and democratic institutions. I urge you to read the article: “Harper, Serial Abuser of Power: The Evidence Compiled.”

Harper’s disrespect for democratic principles, his flouting of rules and his general disregard for procedures and tradition

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serves to diminish the importance of our Westminster institution. A few examples include: the scale and number of Omnibus bills; the muzzling of civil servants and government scientists; the attack on civil liberties; an Act that makes voting more difficult; the Senate scandal; Bill C51; the disregard for the parliamentary committee structures; and the contempt of question period and stifling of debate.

Who benefits when the majority of Canadians don’t bother to vote?

Who wins when people believe each politician is the same?

A Lot At Stake

More and more people distrust politicians and don’t respect political institutions. Many people don’t even understand how government works. Frustration, disillusionment and disappointment all lead to the emergence of the anti-politician (think Rob Ford and Donald Trump).

The result is a further erosion of democratic participation. Who benefits when the majority of Canadians don’t bother to vote?

Who wins when people believe each politician is the same?

As teachers, we have a responsibility to help our students understand how democracy works and why it is a treasure to preserve. As democratic citizens, we have a responsibility to get informed and vote.

I don’t think it is a cliché to say that there is a lot at stake in the upcoming federal election.

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

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photo: © Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com

Perhaps most troubling are Harper’s mistruths. Ideology has replaced evidence as the basis for government decisions.

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FEATURE

UNITE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION Participating in Education International is a chance to tackle the big issues.

By Chris Cowley

From July 21 to 26, 964 delegates and hundreds of observers converged on Ottawa for Education International’s 7th World Congress. OECTA is a member of EI (which represents more than 32 million teachers worldwide) through our membership in the Canadian Teachers Federation.

This year’s world congress theme was “Unite for Quality Education - Better Education for a Better World.” OECTA president Ann Hawkins was OECTA’s voting delegate, but many Provincial Executive members and unit presidents attended as observers and to network with teacher-leaders from around the world.

For OECTA participants, the congress events began by hosting faithbased union leaders from around the world to discuss our common interests, goals and challenges. A frank and informative discussion surrounding membership, pensions and teacher autonomy took place and it was concluded that teachers around the world face similar challenges. It became clear that strong unions are what make the difference for both teachers and education systems world-wide.

A Global Perspective

The operation of the world congress is much like OECTA’s own Annual General Meeting. Delegates are seated according to nation, and debate takes place from a number of microphones placed throughout the convention floor. Resolutions are introduced and voting takes place among delegates. The difference is that you hear a global perspective on issues such as corporatization, education funding and teacher autonomy.

One of the most worrying tendencies is the diversion of public funds towards the financing of private providers, as is the case in Philippines and Brazil. This trend is being fostered by the recommendations of international bodies like the World Bank.

One conference session emphasised the need to design strategies that coordinate global and national levels. From the floor, an idea emerged: the coordination among trade unions and with other civil societies and political actors is the only way to create a global response.

Women in the Union

The congress also emphasized the importance of involving women in the union movement around the world. Here at home, OECTA has taken the lead by creating a standing committee on women’s issues to bring to light the unique issues women face in our profession. However, in other nations (especially in the developing world), the need for a women’s voices is even greater.

When women have a greater role in their unions. they feel more confident in taking on a greater role in their own communities.

As the World Congress closed, the battle lines over the next four years seemed clear: to combat the encroachment of privatization and standardization of education throughout the world.

When we look back on our own education, we remember teachers who changed our lives and we recall the excitement of learning. Will today’s education be recalled as a series of standardized tests? Will valueless, push-button education be passed onto each new generation? We are mobilizing, around the globe, to spare future generations that fate, and together we can move governments away from a culture of testing.

This is why OECTA’s membership in Education International is so important. It keeps our membership in the vanguard of global education policy and helps our leadership keep their finger on the pulse of worldwide education issues.

Teachers are always focused on their students and the needs of their school communities. But your leadership, both locally and provincially, are tasked with taking on the larger issues and maintaining those relationships with our partners to be prepared for the next challenge within education. Participating in Education International is an important piece in this mandate.

Chris Cowley is a secondary teacher in Brantford and a member of the OECTA Provincial Executive.

FEATURE

THE MAGNA CARTA IN CANADA What a centuries-old document can tell us about ourselves

By Christopher Lombardo

Nobody is above the law of the land. No doubt, some politicians would disagree. Regardless, it is the Magna Carta, an often controversial, centuries-old document that set the blueprint for that famous principle and others we observe today: women’s rights, the right to judgement by one’s peers, and habeas corpus (the right to report an unlawful imprisonment).

Fittingly, “democracy’s birth certificate” was in our nation’s capital this summer, a city where these ideas are most hotly debated and, some might argue, undermined.

Canada received the 1300 exemplification of the Magna Carta, part of festivities surrounding the 800th anniversary of the 1215 issuance of the document, which circumscribed monarchic powers. It was the first time it had ever left Durham Cathedral in England.

Magna Carta Canada, a charitable foundation chaired by Suzy and Len Rodness, helped raise the funds to bring the document to Canada, a country with a constitution steeped in its principles – or at least, how they’ve been interpreted through the prism of renowned 17th century jurist, Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634). As Carolyn Harris, author of Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada, put it, “The Great Charter fell into virtual obscurity during the late Middle Ages only to be reborn through [his] writings.”

Controversial Document

The document, while lauded in many circles, still causes controversy some eight centuries later. In a recent editorial, citing King John’s immediate repudiation of the document, the New York Times called the Magna Carta “an ineffective failure.” But that’s a mischaracterization.

Bronwyn Graves, a project manager with Historica Canada who has a background in medieval history, assisted with the development of learning tools for Magna Carta Canada, designed for intermediate and senior classrooms.

“The ideas were bigger than the scope of the document,” says Graves. “It planted a seed in terms of our attitudes toward human rights and responsibilities of government...”

A June op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen noted: “[It] is as good a place as any to begin the argument to reclaim rights.

The spectre of terrorism can threaten cherished rights: due process, habeas corpus and the prohibition of torture…”

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Bringing it to Students

Learning materials were designed as a resource that could either accompany a class trip to the exhibit, or act as an independent set of lessons for classes who aren’t able to attend any of the four Canadian cities in which the Magna Carta will be displayed (in Ontario, it will also be displayed Toronto’s Fort York from October 4 to November 7). When developing these, Graves and colleagues looked at “how values entrenched in the document, informed Canadian concepts of law, human rights and the constitution.”

The team focused on trying to cover all their bases and making that connection to Canada’s history. Such connections are vital because as Graves points out, “Kids always ask, ‘Why is this important? Why does it matter?’”

Kent MacNeill, a Sudbury history teacher (and outgoing OECTA unit president) says, “History is often overlooked as a boring subject of dates and memorization.”

MacNeill, who has made the subject come alive in his classroom by dressing up as Sir John A. MacDonald, says he will be incorporating some of Magna Carta Canada’s information into his lesson plans and that “a field trip to see it would be amazing.”

The learning materials were partly inspired by the Historical Thinking Project by UBC’s Peter Seixas. The Project focuses on getting students to “think historically,” which includes establishing historical significance, using primary source evidence, and analyzing cause and consequence as some of its key precepts.

Case study review examples were put in so that students could draw linear connections between the Magna Carta and the “Persons” Case (Section 24 of the British North American Act defined “qualified persons” for senate appointments, legally interpreted as men), the Dominion Elections Act (electoral reforms introduced in 1920), and the infamous War Measures Act enacted by Pierre Trudeau.

When Canada’s constitution was repatriated in 1982, it included legal protections with precedents in Magna Carta such as always ask, mobility rights and fundamental justice.

“Kids ‘Why is this important?

Why does it matter?’”

ILLUSTRATION BY Roy Ketcheson, member of OECTA’s Ottawa unit

What it Can Teach Us

MacNeill says that as the basis of our constitutional monarchy and the law of the land, the Magna Carta can teach us about the rule of law, how our parliamentary traditions were developed and why.

“It can be used to explore our Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences, the development of ‘responsible government’ in Canada, the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, development of the charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the recent passing of C-51 (the government’s controversial antiterror bill) and how that may impact our fundamental freedoms,” Macneill says.

From the Charter of the Forest to Canada’s Charter, it’s interesting to ponder that whether it’s rebellious barons taking umbrage with a king’s vexatious taxation, or rebellious MPs playing fast and loose with our constitution, the influence of the Magna Carta continues to loom large.

Christopher Lombardo is the Communications Assistant in the Communications Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

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FEATURE

A PROVINCIAL BARGAINING TIMELINE A look at the bargaining road so far: from the passage of Bill 122 to August’s tentative agreement

JUNE 2014 OECTA issues a notice to bargain with the government and OCSTA.

1 2

AUGUST 2014 Teacher collective agreements expire on August 31, 2014.

OCTOBER 2014 Scope of central bargaining not agreed to and the matters in dispute referred to the Ontario Labour Relations Board in accordance with the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act.

3

MARCH 2014 Bill 122 passes third reading in the legislature. The School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014 ushers in a new twotiered bargaining system. Bargaining occurs locally with individual boards and centrally between OECTA and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) and the government.

SEPTEMBER 2014 Initial meetings held with the government and OCSTA.

4 NOVEMBER 2014 5

The Ontario Ministry of Education releases a study of Regulation 274, demonstrating the clear value of OECTA’s fair-hiring policy.

The scope of central bargaining is decided.

6

Preliminary meeting held at the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB). Seniority, teacher assignments and surplus teacher provisions are put before the board.

MARCH 2015

7

JANUARY 2015

“Regressive” concessions come back from OCSTA and the government. These cover wages, hiring practices, leaves of absence and clawbacks and include the deletion of all fair hiring language. Other strips include: • No salary increases for three years leading to erosion of wages due to inflation and extension of the delay in grid movement to the 97th day of each year; • Employer proposed deletion of all superior provisions; • Loss of potential $50,000+/4.5 years for those injured at work – reduction to WSIB benefit top-up; • Loss of $25/day – Sick Leave and Short-term Sick Leave and Disability Plan (90%/day to 85%/day); • Board to dictate ALL aspects of student diagnostic assessment; • The restriction of leaves (board permission required for ALL leaves) and many other deleterious changes.

• Board to dictate how elementary prep time is used.

MAY-JULY 2015 Mediated talks between OECTA and the province/OCSTA continue.

JULY 2015 On July 9, negotiations break off due to frustration with the intransigence of the employer side. Job action planned for September.

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8 9 10

FEBRUARY 2015 A Provincial Tactical Committee (PTC) is established to assist with bargaining updates, electronic-vote/strike readiness materials, communication strategies and the coordination of central strike action as directed by the Provincial Executive.

APRIL 2015 OECTA members vote 94.2% in favour of a strike mandate; OSSTF engages in full withdrawal of services in Durham and Rainbow district school boards strikes.

MAY 2015

11

OSSTF engages in full withdrawal of services in Peel District school board. ETFO begins “phase 1” of a province wide workto-rule strike action May 11; Ontario government passes backto-work legislation for OSSTF high school teachers.

12

AUGUST 2015

13 14

August 12: Bargaining resumes; August 20: Bishop Belleau Catholic School in Moosonee begins work to rule; August 25: Tentative agreement reached with government/ OCSTA, pending ratification. Work to rule is suspended.

TEACHER ADVISOR

teachers aid

REPORTING ABUSE Teachers and the Child and Family Services Act

By Joe Pece

The Child and Family Services Act (CFSA) governs the protection of children in our society. It not only defines “abuse” and outlines procedures for dealing with abuse, it identifies the responsibilities of those (individuals and institutions) who might encounter abuse.

The goal of the CFSA is to “promote the best interests, protection and well-being of children.”

What happens if a report of suspected abuse proves to be untrue?

No legal action can be taken against any person who reports concerns to the CAS as long as there are reasonable grounds to believe the child is in need of protection and the person making the report is not acting maliciously.

The following is a brief outline of what you should know:

What happens if a teacher does not report a suspected abuse case?

Under the CFSA, failure to report suspected abuse is an offense, and the conviction for such offense could result in a fine of up to $1,000. Additionally, under the Professional Misconduct Regulation passed by the Ontario College of Teachers, failure to report may lead to a finding of professional misconduct by the College. In June 2015, the College Council approved the latest professional advisory, “Duty to Report,” which further outlines the professional liability inherent in a teacher’s failure to report.

What are some important questions to ask?

Do you think it is probable that there is abuse? Is there some discernible or tangible evidence based on factors observed during contact with the pupil? Intuition or supposition are not reasonable grounds. While it is not necessary to conduct your own investigation, you remain obligated to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to suspect abuse or that a child is at risk. The Children’s Aid Society is the body that conducts the investigation and has the authority to determine whether abuse has occurred.

What if I suspect a colleague of abuse?

The Child and Family Services Act takes precedence over other legislation including the Teaching Profession Act and its regulations.

Regulation 18(1)(b) states that teachers must furnish a member with a copy in writing of an adverse report. In all cases where teachers report their suspicions of abuse of a child by a member of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, they are advised to contact the provincial or local OECTA office for advice and direction in regard to compliance to 18(1)(b).

What do I do if I am the subject of a CAS investigation?

Contact your local OECTA office or the provincial OECTA office immediately. DO NOT provide any information or make any statements without first consulting OECTA staff or legal counsel.

The only statement you should make is the following: “I am willing to cooperate but I am unable to comment until I contact OECTA or my legal representative.”

Additional resources are located in the Members’ Centre of the OECTA website (www.oecta.on.ca) under Counselling and Member Services.

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

Are there exceptions to the 18(1)(b) obligation?

Yes. The Student Protection Act, 2002 added a new subsection (2) to s.12 of the Teaching Profession Act. A member who makes an adverse report about another member regarding suspected sexual abuse of a student (by that other member) need NOT provide that person with a copy of the report or with any information about the report. This is now referred to as Regulation 18 1(c) of the Teaching Profession Act. If the suspected abuse is sexual in nature, the 18 (1)(b) obligations no longer exist.

The complete College of Teachers Professional Advisory Duty to Report can be found at: https://www.oct.ca/resources/advisories/duty-to-report

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photo: © altanaka / Shutterstock.com

What is a teacher’s responsibility under the CFSA? Teachers must report concerns directly to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) when there are reasonable grounds to suspect a child has suffered abuse or is at risk of suffering abuse (Section 72.1). The obligation to report is personal and can’t be delegated to another person. Teachers must report their concerns immediately upon ascertaining there are reasonable grounds to suspect abuse.

Physical injuries or a child coming forward with a complaint of abuse MUST be reported. However, with cases that are not as clear-cut, the assessment of “reasonable grounds” rests with the teacher.

INSIGHT

TEACHERS AID

PARADOXES AND CONUNDRUMS How personal leadership provides a balanced approach to difficult situations

By Doug McCarthy

Years ago, when my daughter was working overseas, she told me about the trouble the town residents had with the local bus company. It seems half-empty buses were passing bus stops without picking up waiting passengers. When people complained, the response from the bus company was that they had to keep buses on schedule.

photo: © Lucky Business / Shutterstock.com

For years I have wondered, tongue-incheek, how that decision was made.

Perhaps someone from the main office, frustrated with complaints about late buses, sent a memo to all bus drivers stating: From now on, if you are running late, stop picking up passengers. Or was the decision made at a meeting? It is hard to imagine a discussion that resulted in drivers being ordered to stop picking up passengers when behind schedule.

Yet, what is truly amazing is that the solution to a management problem superseded the main mission of the organization: transporting passengers.

Recently, an Ontario school board made a decision to deny unpaid leave to a teacher hoping to accompany his veteran father to the liberation celebrations in the Netherlands. It was reported in the press that the Board “caved to public pressure” and reversed its decision. It would have been more satisfying to learn that the Board re-thought its decision, recognizing the situation was difficult because of the paradox created by the human element and its management policies.

Dealing with Paradoxes Many of us have encountered this kind of paradox: a decision by an organization seems illogical and the only rationale offered is, “That’s our policy.” That rationale is the final retort of an organization desperate for a more reasoned response.

There is a band of research on how organizations can effectively deal with paradoxical situations exhibiting apparently contradictory natures.(See Organizational Change and Managerial Sense Making: Working Through the Paradox

by Lucscher & Lewis)

What’s interesting is that research has expanded to help us deal with contradictory realties in our own lives. In his book entitled The Passion Plan, Richard Chang notes that like organizations, people can sometimes have a totally head-driven approach to situations without listening “to the whispers of the heart.” Or they can have a solely heart-driven approach to a situation that may result in unreasonable and unsound decisions.

Personal Leadership

Stephen R. Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the need for leadership and management in our personal lives, as well as in organizations. Says Covey: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

However, the danger is that one can get trapped in the management paradigm.

In this regard, Covey writes that personal leadership is the “first creation” and that it has to come before management considerations. The imperative is that the leadership must be “principlecentered.”

So, when faced with a paradox, the principles of personal leadership can give you guidance and a more balanced approach to the situation – a foundation.

The result should be a more coherent response than, “That’s our policy.”

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

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

teachers aid

KIDS AND ONLINE BEHAVIOUR The difference between “careful” and “responsible”

By Anthony Carabache

My son Julius is seven years old – the eldest of four children.

The morning he told me he wanted his own YouTube channel, I leaned on my kitchen counter, looked at my wife and said, “Already? Really?”

If you know who I am and what I do, I invite you to relish in the irony… it’s actually okay with me. I told him that his mother and I would discuss it and then lay out a plan to get his channel going. The next half hour was spent contemplating how to delay the inevitable.

Being careful entails waiting for something to happen, and then treading softly as we negotiate that “something.” Being responsible requires us to act by a standard we created ahead of time. One is passive (waiting for something to happen) and one is proactive (anticipating what’s to come).

Empowering Students

As a teacher, when you change the dialogue in your classroom from careful conversations to responsible ones, you empower your students to take control of potentially harmful situations.

When I finally came to my senses, I went to work digging through my presentations looking for something – anything – to fix the situation. From laptop to Dropbox to Drive, I just knew that somewhere in the Cloud I had a presentation or a talk or a handout that would make it all better. But I was frustrated and worried. How could I, a designer, author and implementation strategist for technology integration in education be stymied by my seven-year-old’s desire to start a YouTube channel?

When you ask a child of seven to seek out videos on YouTube about Minecraft that only have positive language, you open yourself up to the question, “What is bad language?” Of course, you have to answer that question. But when you answer, you can explain how speaking in light of Christ’s teachings is what makes us who we are. You can tie that responsibility to the beauty of Christ’s story and draw that connection between our faith and your student’s behaviour When you do that, you begin shaping a very potent young person.

The 21st Century Learner

When next you speak to your students about the dangers of the World Wide Web, try to catch yourself before you utter the word “careful” and replace it with the word “responsible.” It is then that you will witness what incredible ideas, lessons and conversations will follow.

A few moments later, my two-year-old tried to climb up onto the kitchen table to reach my iPad. When my wife gently told him to “be careful,” it hit me! I ran back to one of my machines and pulled up a graphic that had been driving many of my talks about the 21st century learner. I had overlooked it while I was thinking “defence.”

The graphic I uncovered has a simple, yet profound message.

It is the promise I make to teachers and parents across Ontario and via Twitter to the world: We should change the word “careful” to “responsible” whenever discussing our online behaviour. The beauty of this simple change switches us, as a collective, from defence to offence.

In the end, we did start up a joint YouTube channel for our son. He is learning that his parents are the current gatekeepers to the web, and that the only way to get there is through “responsible” action.

Anthony Carabache is a Secretariat member in the Professional Development Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

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LEGAL BRIEF

teachers aid

THE WORLD OF WORK Workers’ rights have been brought to the forefront in a variety of recent legal cases.

By Charlene Theodore

Summer is usually a time when things slow down. However, of late, there have been several interesting developments in the world of work…

Driving Change

Anyone who paid attention to the news coverage leading up to the Pan Am Games knows the real competition took place at the courts and City Hall between the city’s licensed taxis and Uber. The City of Toronto lost its lawsuit against Uber when a judge ruled there was no evidence the company was operating as a taxi broker or that it breached city bylaws. At time of writing, Uber, the City and Toronto’s taxi companies were discussing how to co-exist.

A recent development stateside may change the tone of those talks at home. The California Labour Commission just ruled that Uber drivers are employees _ not independent contractors.

Classifying workers as independent contractors is a permitted practice in non-union workplaces, but independent contractors have little job protection, and no benefits, sick days, pension or paid holidays.

Time will tell whether this ruling will encourage Canadian Uber drivers to follow suit.

Butting Out

photo: © Rawpixel / Shutterstock.com

Arbitrator Norm Jesin recently ruled against an employer who tried to ban employees from smoking during their shifts – including their smoke breaks. (United Steelworkers Local 7175 and Veyance Technologies Canada Inc.)

In January 2014, Veyance Technologies instituted a smoking ban. The ban included smoking outdoors on company property.

The employer also instituted a policy, forbidding employees from leaving company property during their scheduled paid breaks. Working together, the two policies effected a total ban on smoking during working hours.

The Arbitrator agreed the employer had a right to prohibit smoking on its property. However, given that smoking is still a legal activity and that leaving the property only took a few minutes, he determined that prohibiting smoking of company property was an unreasonable exercise of management rights.

This decision was released on June 3, 2015. I shudder when I imagine what it must have been like to work long shifts with smokers who were denied smoke breaks for 17 months.

Paying Up

Up until a few months ago, human rights damages were small, relative to the size and profit margins of the employers they were awarded against. Those days are over as we have reached a new high mark in Ontario, courtesy of our Human Rights Tribunal. The decision was awarded to complainants who make up one of Ontario’s most vulnerable workforces: temporary foreign workers.

The complainants, two sisters aged 30 and 22, came to Ontario from Mexico to work for Presteve Foods Ltd. During their time there, they were the victims of sexual harassment, including unwanted sexual touching under the threat of being sent back to Mexico. The Tribunal found that the employer’s behaviour was particularly egregious and a violation of the Human Rights Code, in addition to criminal conduct. The nature of the conduct, in combination with the specific vulnerability of the complainants, justified an unprecedented award of $150,000 for one sister and $50,000 for the other.

Hopefully, the publicity surrounding this award will spread awareness of the unique hardships faced by temporary foreign workers in Canada.

Charlene Theodore is in-house Legal Counsel at OECTA Provincial Office.

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BEGINNING TEACHERS

teachers aid

RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Here’s a list of resources to help ease the stress of the new school year…

By Claire Laughlin

Are you are feeling pressured to set up your classroom and instructional program for the year ahead? If so, read on… there is help available. There are a variety of resources you can utilize, and all of them are available online. They are, for the most part, Ministry and affiliate resources but they can also be found in hard copy form in a variety of places, including your school library.

Here are some key ones to get you started: 1. EDUGAINS: A Resource Site

Contains resources, strategies, etc. for differentiated instruction, English language learners, special education including IEP samples, autism, assessment and evaluation, early years, financial literacy and more. www.edugains.ca

4. Combined Grades

This document contains strategies to reach a range of learners from Kindergarten to Grade 6.

It focuses on planning, literacy and mathematics instruction. The new social studies, history and geography have planning templates to support combined grades. www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacy numeracy/combined.pdf

2. OTF Special Education Gateway

3. Growing Success

5. Learning for All This is designed to share information with educators about researchinformed educational approaches that have proven to be effective in supporting the learning of all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The Draft Learning for All K-12 is a resource document (not policy).

6. Education for All

The OTF website provides specific strategies and resources to help teachers address the unique needs of students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. www.teachspeced.ca

This document is intended to ensure that policy is clear, consistent and well-aligned across panels, school boards and schools, and that every student in the system benefits from the same highquality process for assessing, evaluating, and reporting achievement. www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/ growsuccess.pdf

This is the report of the Expert Panel on Literacy and Numeracy Instruction for Students with Special Education Needs, Kindergarten to Grade 6. www.edu.govon.ca/eng/document/ reports/speced/panel/speced.pdf

www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/ elemsec/speced/LearningforAll2013.pdf

Claire Laughlin is a member of OECTA’s Professional Development Department. She is also assigned to the Beginning Teachers Committee and Conference.

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PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

FROM K-CUPS TO COMPLIMENT BOOKS Peter Cameron’s enthusiasm for challenging his students to think outside of the classroom has seen a positive ripple effect.

By Christopher Lombardo

“Every year I have a goal for myself: to teach students that they have a voice beyond the classroom,” says Peter Cameron of OECTA’s Thunder Bay Elementary unit.

Cameron's Grade 6 students at St. Elizabeth School in Thunder Bay have accomplished this – and then some. Their Gift4Christmas Challenge website, for example (meant to inspire others to start or share their own giving traditions) has had a ripple effect online that’s spread to 60 countries.

It was inspired by a 20-year school tradition of having students deliver groceries and prepare food for those at Thunder Bay Shelter House. Cameron’s students shared their Christmas challenge website on social media, creating a video and even getting copyright clearance to use their favourite music.

“We’re making 21st century decisions, and learning along the way,” says Cameron.

The website was a big success; within five weeks, the site had 6,000 visitors. For Cameron, whose students excitedly watch to see where all the hits are coming from around the globe, “it’s all about leveraging technology in a positive way.”

The kids don’t throw anything out. The one biodegradable part of the K-Cup, the filter, is used to help pot trees. They recycle the coffee grounds in the school’s garden.

Peter Cameron

Online Learning

Cameron started sharing the math lessons online, where his initiatives proved quite popular (they’ve had close to 20,000 engagements on Twitter alone). This got the attention of producers at CBC, which featured Cameron and his class early this summer.

Teaching straight out of the textbook is the biggest challenge when it comes to teaching math, “You don’t really have freedom and flexibility to do what you want with math,” says Cameron.

This K-Cup project was “something relevant to them, hands-on and fun, which they had ownership of.”

Cameron’s students have been creating their own math problems, tweeting them out and getting solutions back from all around the globe.

“I am wowed and I’m 20 years into my career,” says Cameron.

K-Cups Runneth Over

Student Positivity

It all started, once again, with the shelter house, where students had been cleaning out 800 coffee cups.

“For most of them, there is not enough room on the page to write enough about their classmates,” he notes. Several of his former students tell him they still have – and cherish – their Compliment Booklets.

One such (non-renewable) resource that put them in the spotlight was the unlikeliest of math manipulatives: K-Cups, those throwaway single-serve coffee containers. The project has taken on a life of its own and Cameron’s K-Cups Math Resource page (mrcssharesease.wordpress.com) has become a popular component of his website.

“In the interest of environmental stewardship, we said, ‘Let’s bring them back,’” says Cameron. “Things began with, ‘What’s the volume of the box?’ Then, ‘What is the surface area?’”

The non-biodegradable coffee cups were suddenly repurposed into a very popular learning tool. “If people choose to use them, which we don’t agree with, at least they are not going to the landfill,” says Cameron.

Another “wow” comes from Cameron’s Make a Difference Project, which challenges students to find the good in one another. His Compliment Booklets are something decidedly low-tech. On an 11” x 17” piece of folded paper, he gets kids to write positive, uplifting messages to one another, every Valentine’s Day.

How does he find the time to make all of this happen in his classroom? Says Cameron: “It’s about having balance… It’s just a passion.”

Christopher Lombardo is the Communications Assistant in the Communications Department at OECTA Provincial Office.

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people worth watching

TEACHER’S PET Sharon Douris’ hedgehog is the protagonist in her children’s books – and a teaching support in her classroom.

By Janine Druery

A hedgehog might not be top of mind for most people when choosing a pet. But for Sharon Douris, her allergies – to dogs, cats and most furry creatures – led her to seek out a more unconventional little creature.

“It was actually my husband who brought the hedgehog home as a surprise after we had been joking around about getting one,” says Douris, a special education teacher at St. John Catholic School in Toronto. “And it was a great choice.”

She fell in love with her not-so-furry little friend, named him Henley (after Henley-on-the-Thames in England where her husband was born), and he’s been a member of the family ever since.

It took a while for the critter to bond with the family, but now Douris says he is happy and friendly. And, when he’s not sleeping (which is often), he putters around his cage in the kitchen or hangs out in his “playpen” in the backyard.

A Star is Born

Douris, a 25-year teacher in the Catholic school system and a member of the Toronto Elementary unit of OECTA, has always had a love of the written word. She writes poetry, and selfpublished a book called Teacher’s Survival 101, which helps new teachers navigate the classroom.

Yet, she had always wanted to give children’s books a try. In the summer of 2013, while her husband built a Koi pond in their backyard, she started taking photos of Henley poking around in

the dirt. She then crafted the words, and her first book – Henley the Hedgehog: Henley Falls into a Very Big Hole – was born.

The book, geared to a Grade 3-4 audience, was a hit, and she went on to self-publish it and two more: Henley the Hedgehog Helps His Friends and Henley Meet the Japanese Koi. This last book ends with Henley disappearing into a tree for the winter.

To get photos for the book, she put a little door on the base of a giant oak tree in the Beaches’ Kew Gardens near her home.

After the pictures were taken, she decided to leave the door there to interest the neighbourhood children.

“Since then, kids from all over have come to leave presents and notes at the tree,” says Douris. The infamous oak is now known as “Henley’s home” or the “fairies’ tree.”

Classroom Celebrity

Douris wrapped up the Henley series with her most recent book, Henley the Hedgehog Has a Bath, this one aimed at children in Kindergarten. She says it will be the last, but little fans can stay connected via Henley’s Facebook page (Henley Hedge).

All of the books are available on blurb.com, but Douris says the self-publishing route has made the paper books expensive to purchase and the payout to her minimal. She has plans to submit the series to a few publishers; if one of them bites, the price of the hard copy books will drop significantly.

In the meantime, the books are available in e-version on blurb.com and are a fraction of the cost. Teachers can download them to their school iPads or laptops, and Douris will even arrange classroom visits via Skype for classes reading the books.

At her own school, Douris gives the Henley books to other teachers and then brings Henley to their classes to make the character real to the children. “It’s a way to inspire writing and get the kids thinking,” she notes.

And Douris herself uses the books – and her quilled beastie – as a teaching aid in her special education class.

“Bringing in Henley took away a bit of the stigma of a special education room for some of the kids,” she says. “Now the kids don’t call it the special education room or the resource room, they call it the Hedgehog room – and all the kids want to come there.”

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Janine Druery is the Communications Specialist in the Communications Department of OECTA Provincial Office.

people worth watching

MEET THE NEW EXECUTIVE OECTA is pleased to welcome the members of its new provincial executive.

Elected at the AGM in March, OECTA’s new members of the executive team have now taken office and join new president, Ann Hawkins (see profile on page 8) and past-president, James Ryan.

LIZ STUART

BARB DOBROWOLSKI

ANDREW DONIHEE

When her headmaster told her she should become a teacher, Liz Stuart was “not sure what she wanted to do.” She ended up heeding that advice.

While working as a part-time educational assistant and carrying a full course-load in university, Barb Dobrowolski decided to pursue teaching.

“Teaching was something I was always interested in, so I pursued it,” says Andrew Donihee. “It was a perfect fit.”

She grew up just outside of Manchester and did a four-year honours degree in education in the UK, where she majored in special education and English.

After gaining two degrees, one in biochemistry and nutrition and one in English, she went to teachers’ college. The Ottawa native has been a teacher at the elementary level (Grades 2-4) ever since.

First Vice-President

Second Vice-President

She found she really liked being around kids and has always taught at the elementary level. “I can’t imagine what else I would love done,” she says.

“I’ve always loved working with them – I just love sixth graders,” says Stuart.

“They have their own opinions and are willing to share them. You get a lot of energy from them and even on the bad day, there’s always something that gives you a bit of a kick. ” During the Rae Days, she was frozen on a grid for three years. She then became active in her school in the Mike Harris era and became a strike captain at her York school.

“I decided I kind of liked it and wanted to be more involved,” says Stuart.

This led to 25 years being active in OECTA. She joined the local Collective Bargaining Committee, becoming its Chair in 2007. She also served several times as a member of the local negotiating team, and was York Unit Chief Negotiator from 2012 to 2014.

Stuart says the biggest misconception about teachers is that anyone can do it.

“No they can’t,” she says. “It’s a fabulous profession and I recommend it, but not everyone has the temperament for it. It requires a lot of patience and tolerance.”

“It’s rewarding in that the kids generally love their teacher and show a lot of appreciation for things you do for them,” says Dobrowolski. “It’s very joyful, but challenging.”

She taps into her background for the subjects she enjoys teaching most – math, science and language arts.

“I always had it in the back of my mind, to go to secondary eventually but became too involved in OECTA,” says Dobrowolski, “And this became a career path on its own.”

When she saw hard-working teachers being maligned by boards, she was “incensed,” and this compelled her to advocacy. She became involved in OECTA in her first year of teaching, on a work-to-rule during the Rae Days. She was asked to chair the Communications Committee and “never looked back,” becoming involved in the local executive.

“We’re entering a pretty tumultuous time and we need strong leadership during this time and our membership to support us,” Dobrowolski says. “It’s such a busy profession – people have different priorities, but when times are tough, everyone engages as it should be.”

When she’s not busy, Dobrowolski likes to hike, cook, take on home renovation projects, and travel.

Third Vice-President

It was the perfect fit for Donihee’s mother too, a retired teacher who taught for 32 years.

Donihee believes his mission as a teacher is to help his students find their strengths and to guide them toward successfully accomplishing their goals.

The Cornwall native’s favourite subject to teach is religion.

“I like the idea of having an impact on students’ lives in a positive way and helping them shape what they may become,” says Donihee.

When it comes to the subject, he says “social justice is easy to marry with religion when you look at teachings of the Church – treating people as human beings and treating the earth with respect.”

Donihee is a graduate of Lakehead University and completed teachers’ college at the University of Canberra in Australia.

When it comes to his education philosophy he says, “We have to look at where kids need to build, less focus on standardized tests and more focus on maths and language to build skills in other areas.

“Looking at what we do, it’s important for people to see all the small things.

As a teacher I’m always thinking about making the next lesson better.”

In his spare time, the father of two plays hockey and enjoys reading.

WARREN GRAFTON

MICHEL DERIKX

ANTHONY ROCCHIO

Before attending teacher’s college, Warren Grafton studied chemistry. But sitting alone in a quality control lab wasn’t the future he’d envisioned so he became an educational assistant, and then a teacher.

“My parents always valued education and always valued good teachers, so I thought I could make a contribution that way,” says Michel Derikx.

Family members always told Anthony Rocchio he should get into teaching.

Treasurer

In 1996, he worked for the Waterloo Catholic School Board as an itinerant teacher for the visually impaired, something he found really rewarding. Grafton “worked with the same kids year after year and got to see them progress.”

When a staff rep position came up for hearing/special education, he took it.

Grafton was a member of the Waterloo Unit committee that organized teachers’ picket schedules during the Bill 160 protests in 1997 and also served as the local OECTA office manager and behind -the-scenes organizer. The experience cemented his interest in, and commitment to, the Association.

“The role [of an executive member] is to represent the teacher in the classroom and to know what their concerns are,” says Grafton. “Members are interested and willing to work on behalf of the Association but they really need some human contact.”

Instead of balancing equations, the former chemist now does “a balancing act.” He’s a planning-time teacher at Our Lady of Fatima School in Cambridge and has his executive duties, which also include liaising with other units and committee work in finance, awards and political action.

Grafton says, “People are more concerned about how many dollars they take home than broader social issues.” He says as teachers, “We have to have a conversation about what makes a fair and just society.”

When he’s not teaching or bargaining, Grafton enjoys karate (he and his wife are second-degree karate black belts) and ballroom dancing.

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Councillor

Derikx got into the profession as he liked working with children and was inspired by some good teachers when he was younger.

The former Second Vice-President of Hamilton Wentworth unit, and one of OECTA’s two new provincial Councillors, spent time teaching in the intermediate division, but is now gearing up to teach primary students in September.

His favourite subject to teach (math) was his least favourite subject as a student: “It took a while a while to catch onto it, but it became really fascinating,” he says.

“It just makes so much sense, it’s very logical.”

A York University graduate (majoring in political science and history), Derikx obtained his basic teaching qualifications at Université Laval and has good French language skills. (His Belgianborn mother and Dutch father always encouraged him to continue with the language and his children attend school in the French Catholic board). He also has an M.Ed from OISE. In his first year of teaching, Derikx got involved in OECTA. A staff rep invited him out to a meeting, and the following year he joined the Collective Bargaining Work Group. The political side of things was “very interesting” for him, specifically the relationship between the union and the government; the more involved he got, the more Derikx saw its value and importance and it “grew from there.”

The married father of three (who met his wife during the political protests against Mike Harris) is originally from Essex County and now lives in Hamilton. He’s an avid motorcyclist and enjoys travelling.

Councillor

A former volunteer and classroom helper, he got started in elementary school (Grades 3-6), before becoming a resource teacher, working with kids with a variety of disabilities.

According to Rocchio, the challenges are “helping the kids meet success in the curriculum and being the liaison between the school, the student, the board and the parent, and being the mediator for understanding what will help a child succeed.”

His favourite subject to teach is history.

He’s used his travels to Italy as a classroom resource, sharing pictures of historical sites from abroad.

Rocchio did his undergraduate work at Laurentian University in Sudbury, and then a teaching degree at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland.

“I’d finished my degree and was working in Toronto, looking for an apartment when I saw the advertisement,” Rocchio says. “And I went for it, just for the experience of it all.”

His involvement in OECTA came when they were looking locally for a Councillor. He stepped up to the job and then went on to become Treasurer and First Vice-President with his unit.

He has been the Sudbury Elementary First Vice-President since 2012 and has been involved in various facets of the Association, from the region’s Collective Bargaining team to Treasurer and Member of Social Committee. For OECTA provincial, he was Chairperson of Beginning Teachers Committee 2010-2012, and was involved in Leadership Training and Summer Writing facilitation.

Rocchio lives in Sudbury and has a sister and two nephews. In his downtime, he is an avid reader, and he stays active by biking and running.

NEW EXECUTIVE MEET THE

CHRIS COWLEY OTF Table Officer

“Teaching runs in my family,” says Chris Cowley. “Both of my parents were teachers and I remember going in every August, setting up the classroom and sharpening pencils for my dad.”

His mother was on the executive at St. Clair Elementary and enjoyed it, so he decided to get more involved in his local unit in Brant Haldimand Norfolk.

Cowley’s teaching roots go ever further back. His grandmother was a trustee with the Lambton County Catholic School Board.

And every Friday over dinner, conversation would invariably turn to education issues.

“All beginning teachers should get involved in their association,” says Cowley. “It shows how much goes on behind the scenes that the average teacher doesn’t see, and how much good work we do at OECTA for all teachers.”

“It’s a great profession to be in,” says Cowley. “It’s something I always wanted to do.

As an OTF Table Officer, Cowley will work with other affiliates.

“It’s a great way to find common ground and discuss issues all teachers feel are important,” he says.

Cowley has a degree in history and that is his favourite course to teach, along with Grade 12 religion. “In higher grades it’s about applying moral teachings to the real world,” he says.

He got involved in OECTA completely by chance in his first year of teaching. In the staff room one day, he was called over and asked, “Hey Chris, do you want to be on the union?”

The Sarnia native is an avid golfer and swimmer and loves to read about history. He is also fond of “nerdcations,” using his vacation time to visit historic sites. His goal is to visit every presidential museum.

Follow him on Twitter (@oectagovernor)

VIEWPOINT

BUILDING FUTURE CITIZENS Teachers play an important role in preparing young Canadians for the voting process.

Schools can sign up for Student Vote at www.studentvote.ca or by calling 1-866-488-8775

Article courtesy of CIVIX

provincial and municipal elections.

Students learn about government and the electoral process, research the political parties and platforms, discuss relevant issues and cast ballots for the official election candidates in their riding. The Student Vote results are shared with media for broadcast and publication.

Largest Student Vote

This fall, an estimated 700,000 students from across Canada will take part in the largest Student Vote parallel election ever conducted.

In October, Canadians will head to the polls for what promises to be an exciting federal election. The results will be shaped by those who vote and those who do not.

Voter turnout in Canada has been declining for decades. Electoral participation reached an all-time low of 59 per cent in the 2008 federal election, and voter turnout in most provinces is hovering around 50 per cent.

Rates of participation vary widely among age groups; young Canadians are much less likely to vote than older ones. In the 2011 federal election, only 39 per cent of voters aged 18 to 24 voted compared to 70 per cent of voters aged 55 and over.

Troubling Picture

Although youth voter turnout has always been lower than over age groups, the research paints a troubling picture.

To begin with, each new generation is voting less than the first. In 1965, about two-thirds of first-time electors voted, 28

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and by 2004 that number fell to just over one-third.

Secondly, studies have shown that habits of voting and non-voting persists over time. So, if young people don’t vote now, there is good reason to assume that they won’t become voters later in life.

What does this mean for our democracy?

If we don’t tackle these challenges now, our voter turnout will continue to decline and the majority of people won’t be involved in choosing our government.

Teachers’ Roles

Teachers play a vital role in building our country’s future citizens and preparing young Canadians for the voting process which can, and should, start at an early age.

Since 2003, the Student Vote program has given elementary and secondary school students the opportunity to experience the voting process and have a voice in the election. Student Vote is a parallel election for students under the voting age, coinciding with federal,

Registration for the federal Student Vote is open until the end of September.

Participating schools receive educational resources, posters, riding maps, ballots and ballot boxes. The program is offered at no cost and is open to all Ontario schools.

The goal of Student Vote is to create lifelong voters who are ready, willing and able to participate in their democracy, and this would not be possible without the thousands of teachers who organize and implement the program when there is an election.

This article was provided by CIVIX, a nonpartisan, national registered charity building the capacity and commitment of young Canadians to participate in our democracy.

Student Vote is the flagship program of CIVIX.

VIEWPOINT

A LOOK BACK AT BILL 100 Reflecting on the 40th anniversary of our right to strike

By Robert Smol

It was during the summer of 1975 that the Progressive Conservative government of Bill Davis passed the School Boards and Teachers Collective Negotiations Act (Bill 100). After years of lobbying, protesting, and mass resignations, teachers were finally given the legal right to bargain collectively and to strike.

“It is quite an historic document,” says Leo Normandeau, who was OECTA president from 1974 to 1975. “It provided the framework for collective bargaining that took place from 1975 to now in spite of the fact that subsequent governments tried to tweak it in many different ways. It is the first piece of legislation that really brought the teachers together.”

The Right to Strike

Current OECTA president, Ann Hawkins, who began her teaching career in Ontario in 1975 after emigrating from Scotland, recalls being surprised at the situation here.

“The whole concept of not having the right to strike took me aback,” she says.

Denied the legislative right to bargain collectively and to strike, Ontario teachers, prior to the 1970s, were essentially on their own when it came to negotiating contracts with their school boards.

Even in the late 1960s, when OECTA’s local leadership began pushing for a more collective and equitable approach to bargaining, it was entirely based on the good will of the school boards.

“Before Bill 100, being a male teacher, I got $400 more than a female teacher on staff,” recalls Normandeau. “I was able to get group benefit plans, because I negotiated them with my board. When I tried to also get them for the female teachers, the board said “no” because their husbands could provided for them from wherever they were working.”

Resignations and Protests

By the early 1970s, many teachers were fed up. Local units resorted to mass resignations and threatened to quit as a single group, forcing the board to recognize and negotiate with the units as a collective. The protests and mass resignations culminated on December 18, 1973 when teachers across the province walked out of their classrooms.

“By that time, all affiliates were on board and all were asking for collective bargaining legislation that would include the right to strike,” says Normandeau. “They could have voluntary arbitration, or final offer selection, or go all the way to strike or lockout. Bill 100 laid out the platform for every one of those scenarios.”

Providing a Framework

Apart from providing a framework for collective bargaining, to which all teacher unions and boards had to conform, Bill 100 also provided for the establishment of the Education Relations Commission (ERC). Though it has been the subject of criticism in more recent months, Normandeau considers the Education Relations Commission as an important guard against direct government meddling.

“The ERC was there to monitor the progress of negotiations,” he notes. “Their people would be trained in mediation and conciliation, and the government would not be deciding on when negotiations were affecting the children.”

But just as government decided in the 1970s to enact collective bargaining rights, Hawkins points out that the government could likewise decide to take those rights away: “Right now we are trying to forge a relationship under Bill 122 that is going to maintain and guarantee the right of teachers to collectively bargain while constantly being aware that government can always pass legislation to get rid of collective bargaining.”

Robert Smol is a teacher with the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit, who also works as a freelance journalist and columnist.

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photo: © mtmmarek / Shutterstock.com

In July of 1975, OECTA and the other affiliates won what could arguably be our union’s single most important political victory.

This victory, now known as Bill 100, has affected the salary, status, seniority rights and security of all Ontario teachers for the last 40 years.

VIEWPOINT

DEMOCRACY UNDER WRAPS It is time to blow the whistle on the Conservative government’s culture of secrecy.

In June, OECTA was invited to participate in a forum at Ryerson University’s newly formed Centre for Free Expression.

In attendance were representatives from an assortment of media, arts and culture councils, activist organizations and labour unions.

And the government has refused to disclose critical information – such as documents detailing the treatment of prisoners in Afghanistan, or cost estimates for new military equipment – to members of parliament or independent parliamentary officers.

The discussion touched on a wide range of topics, but one theme dominated the afternoon: the right to access, collect and disseminate information in the public interest.

Suppressing Knowledge

It has been a troubling decade for those who believe the free flow of information is vital to a healthy democracy. Through a series of actions, whether blatant or insidious, Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party have made the federal government more secretive than ever, undermining the public’s ability to understand and debate issues of national importance.

Tightly Scripted

Even a partial account of the Conservatives’ penchant for suppressing information is staggering.

Ministers stick to tightly scripted talking points, rarely offering insights that have not been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office. Reporters are no longer allowed to question members of the Conservative Party as they leave their weekly caucus meetings, and Stephen Harper has not held a press conference in which he took more than two questions since late 2012.

Responses to Access to Information requests are often delivered heavily or completely redacted, in file formats that do not allow searching or sorting, months or years after the requests were made. Government scientists have decried new policies that prevent them from sharing their research with media and the public.

There have also been efforts to stifle the creation of knowledge, the most egregious of which was the elimination of the mandatory long-form census. Citing privacy concerns – which turned out to have been almost entirely fabricated – the government implemented a less reliable (and more expensive) voluntary survey. The head of Statistics Canada resigned in protest. The decision reflected the Conservatives’ preference for making policy based on ideology rather than evidence, and their aversion to large-scale social programs. But the loss of valid census data also prevents academics, businesses and other non-governmental organizations from analyzing our country and its needs.

Previous federal governments have not exactly been models of transparency. Provincial and municipal governments, as well as public institutions like hospitals, school boards and police agencies, are often guilty too. But the current federal government has introduced new levels of shamelessness about its stonewalling and deceit, and the public must share some of the blame.

Outside of media and political circles, Harper’s exceptionally anti-democratic tendencies have been met with a collective shrug. If the Conservatives are allowed to form government again, we will have to seriously question how committed we are to our right to know. We owe it to ourselves to demand more.

Adam Lemieux is the Writer/Researcher in the Communications and Government Relations departments at OECTA Provincial Office.

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photo: © Anton Watman / Shutterstock.com

By Adam Lemieux