The Essential Voice of Canadian Teachers (CTF Report)

I was delighted  to  speak  at  ETFO’s annual general meeting in  August –  my first speak- ing engagement as president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation.  As I begin my two-year term, I look forward to  working with  both President Sam Hammond  and General Secretary  Gene Lewis, who are  members  of our board  of directors. It is so true that the greatest  asset of a national federation is its members,  and your leaders  are certainly to be commended for their staunch support. Let’s  talk  about the voice of Canadian  teachers. Canada  has one of the best public education systems in  the  world, thanks to each and every one of you. And yet,  when we  hear the call for education reform, too often the voice of teachers is  absent. Increasingly,  educational policy decisions are being  informed by people with little or no background  in public  education. Teachers  are classroom  experts and public leaders in  student learning.   Educational policy  decisions  should be  informed by our professional knowledge  and expertise.  To  better  understand what  happens when the voice of teachers is excluded, we need only to look south of the border  to witness the education reform policies that have hampered teaching  and  learning.

In  order  to  counter  this disturbing trend, the  CTF launched a national study in  collaboration with its  member organizations. The CTF publication The Voice of  Canadian  Teachers  on Teaching and  Learning, released at our  annual general  meeting,  draws on teachers’ substantial experience, expertise, and knowledge. The 96-page  report  brings  to the fore the views of  teachers on myriad issues in elementary and  high  school  education:  from class composition to Aboriginal education; from assessment and  evaluation to  international co- operation; from professional learning to teaching in  francophone-minority  settings,  from technology in  education to  out-of-pocket expenditures by  teachers,  and  from  cellphone  use  in  the classroom to the future of teaching and learning. The ETFO Poverty  Project is  also highlighted in the section on the teacher voice on poverty and schools. Furthermore, teachers shared with us the reasons why they entered the profession and why they remain. They also made suggestions about changes  and reforms they would like  to see in education. The report has  been shared widely with faculties and ministries  of education  across Canada.  Most recently, I had the honour of sharing it with Governor General David Johnston,  who has praised the work of teachers in a speech at his swearing-in ceremony.

I would like to personally  thank the 64 ETFO members who took part in the national  CTF online survey to  which  over  400  teachers responded. Thank you for your valuable input and views on ways to make our education system even stronger. To order your copy, we invite you to visit the CTF website at ctf-fce.ca.

Best wishes for a most successful school year!