Voices

Open  the  door  of   an  effective  kindergarten classroom and all of your senses will be engaged. Colourful   bulletin  boards provide the  backdrop to bold paintings;  student posters advertise the class restaurant.

Quick quiz –  how long is  your collective agreement? 25  pages

“Slowly but surely we are leaving behind antiquated ideas of disability as tragedy.”

ETFO  members  have  always  been  generous when it comes to responding to tragic events around the world. They have donated as individuals and as locals to AIDS work in Africa, and to the victims of the Haitian earthquake and the Indian Ocean tsunami.

In October 2009, ETFO members Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton approached the  Simcoe  Teacher  Local  executive about becoming involved with the 17th annual  iEARN International  Conference and Youth Summit.

When the Ministry of Education announced that the formal fall report card would be replaced with an interim, informal report, ETFO applauded. We did caution the ministry that implementation might be a concern. This was based on our members’ experience with the last report card roll out.

Over the  past several years there has been a significant increase in the number of literacy and numeracy initiatives that ETFO members are expected to implement. These initiatives come from the Ministry of Education, individual school boards, families of schools, or individual administrators.

Re: New Teachers’ and Occasional Teachers Columns
October 2010.

In  September  Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty sparked a  string  of  debates among  Canadian teachers,   students, parents, and  the  public at large  with  his  comments  about  the  use  of cell phones in  the classroom.  Initially negative images were conjured up in people’s  minds:  students