Voices

In  the Winter 2011 edition of Voice, you were introduced to  the approved bargaining goals that ETFO  will pursue in  the upcoming round of negotiations.

ETFO collective agreements expire at the end of August 2012 and bargaining for new agreements is about to begin. As we move into active  bargaining, members can expect to be challenged about what we are asking for in our next contract.

ETFO  has a proud reputation of contributing internationally. When an earthquake strikes, we are there. At the same time we sometimes look   less   closely  at  how  communities  right here at home need our support.

Every Year OTF, in partnership with OTIP (the Ontario Teachers’ Insurance Plan), recognizes the outstanding work of educators across Ontario. The OTIP Teaching Awards were established in 1991 and are held in conjunction with World Teachers’ Day, Oct. 5.

An unfamiliar school, unfamiliar classroom, unfamiliar routines, and unfamiliar students can contribute to a sense of uncertainty when I accept a call as a daily occasional teacher.

You  are hired and you celebrate. Then you enter the classroom to confront the challenges and excitement of teaching.

Social Justice Begins with Me (formerly We’re Erasing Prejudice for Good) is a new literature-based curriculum resource released at ETFO’s fall leadership conference.¹

The large majority of new members are women. (Just over 80 percent of all ETFO members are women.) This makes gender an ever-present dimension of union revitalization.

Workplace violence is a major hazard in our schools. It gets in the way of teaching, learning, and well-being; dealing with it is stressful and traumatic.