Making a Difference for Teachers and Students (From the President)

ETFO exists to serve you – our members. We work to make a difference in the lives of  Ontario’s teachers, education workers, and students.

In  collective  bargaining this  past  year  we saw the successful negotiation of 31 occasional teacher  collective   agreements.  The  key  goal, as stated by a  resolution of  the 2004 Annual Meeting,  was  that  every   occasional   teacher collective agreement would include provisions giving occasional teachers the same timetable as the teacher they are replacing.

We  achieved that  goal  and  so  much  more. The Near North Occasional Teacher Local had to  stage a  work  stoppage to  achieve its goals, but the strike showed not only the resolve of members, but also how  indispensable they are to the education system. The board closed down schools when occasional teachers went on strike. We now have collective agreements in place until 2008. Issues that arise before the agreements expire can be resolved through mutual agreement, grievance  arbitration,  or,  in  some  cases,  at the  Provincial  Stability   Commission,  which already is having significant success in resolving supervision time  disputes. (See  the  collective bargaining column on page 17.)

We are embarking on an unprecedented year in professional development for our members. This summer, thanks to provincial government support, we  were able to  offer eight regional Kindergarten Institutes as  well  as  more  than 50 summer academy courses. More than 2000 members, including 600 Kindergarten teachers, took advantage of  the opportunity to broaden their professional skills.

There has been significant media interest in our courses, which helps the public to understand that teachers value professional growth opportunities. Making a difference for teachers and students. Providing those  opportunities to  support the professionalism of our members is one of the services that ETFO is proud of.

Other training – in areas such as classroom management  and  coping  with  bullying  and harassment – is provided by ETFO Professional Relations Services staff. They are also the people who provide individual assistance  to members in difficulty.

We  were  proud  to  offer  support  to  Ellen Chambers-Picard,  this   year’s   Humanitarian Award winner, when she launched a human rights complaint (see page 10). The resolution of that complaint resulted in significant  improvements in the way her board and its schools deal with bullying and harassment.

ETFO does a great deal of work to address social justice issues at the provincial and local levels. This year  two more locals have signed on  to  the  payroll deduction plan  to  support the ETFO Humanity Fund. The  Stephen Lewis Foundation has been the signature charity of our Humanity Fund to date. We offer support to  organizations and individuals who work on behalf of women and children around the world. We  provide   curriculum  resources  that  help members teach students about equity issues. And we  offer leadership and growth  opportunities for members. Through the support of  Project Overseas, our members are able to work with their colleagues in developing countries.

This is just some of the work ETFO does for you, and it would not be possible without the work you do for ETFO. None of what we do can happen without you. I urge you to get involved and make the Federation part of  your everyday life.

Together we can make a difference.