Voices

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.

Professional Services staff always try to keep a finger on the pulse of our membership. What do our members need in the area of professional learning?

As the professional learning chair for the Kawartha Pine Ridge Occasional Teacher Local, I am always trying to find new opportunities for our members. The online book club is one of these: last year we had three online book clubs and we will do more this year.

ETFO collective agreements expire next August. Preparations for the next round of bargaining are now underway. In 2004 and 2008 bargaining took place at both the provincial and local levels.

As a teacher federation, ETFO has a lot in common with other unions and teacher federations.

For ETFO the October provincial election was a success story: we worked hard to ensure the election of a majority of education-friendly candidates and that goal was accomplished with the election of 53 Liberals and 17 New Democrats.

In the June 2011 issue of Voice  I said goodbye, anticipating that it would be the last issue I would be editing. Things were not so straightforward: I found myself continuing on for a few months more than I had anticipated. But now it is truly time for my last goodbye.

Sound research is too often missing when changes are advocated for education policy and teaching practice. The global push for education reforms too often starts with preconceived solutions.

Business as usual at OTF means that research is constant and ongoing. While OTF conducts its own research as needed, we are often informed by carefully reviewing and analyzing the research of others.