Share this page
Governing Ourselves informs members of legal and regulatory matters affecting the profession. This section provides updates on licensing and qualification requirements, notification of Council resolutions and reports from various Council committees, including reports on accreditation and discipline matters.
College members have voted and the results are in. The seventh Council of the Ontario College of Teachers has been elected. See the official 2015 Council election results and learn about your Council members.
College members have elected the seventh Council, which will govern the teaching profession in the public interest for the next three years.
The 37-member Council meets four times a year to develop policy direction and provide oversight in accordance with the objects set out in the Ontario College of Teachers Act. The Council establishes teacher qualifications in regulation, sets standards of practice and ethical standards, accredits teacher education programs, and investigates and hears complaints about individual members.
The 23 elected members come from the English, French, Catholic, public, elementary and secondary school systems in all regions of the province. Four of the positions are designated for principals/ vice-principals, supervisory officers, faculties of education and private schools.
Fourteen members of Council are appointed by the provincial government for terms of up to three years.
A total of 64 candidates ran for the 23 elected Council seats. Five candidates were acclaimed. Two positions were vacant. Of members of the College eligible to participate, 5,886 voted online between March 2 and April 7, 2015, to choose who would fill the remaining 16 positions. The seventh Council will hold its inaugural meeting on July 6, 2015.
*Independent auditor Richter LLP verified these final counts.
Total Number of Voters: 5,886
Total Number of Eligible Voters: 240,640
Voter Turnout: 2.45%
Brian Beal has been director of education for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic DSB since 2011. He began his career in 1984 teaching English in the York Catholic DSB and subsequently taught English and served as a vice-principal, principal and supervisory officer in the former Simcoe County Roman Catholic Separate School Board.
As a member of the Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officers’ Association, Beal served as one of the regional representatives on the English Catholic Council of Ontario Directors of Education and on the Council of Ontario Directors of Education.
His community involvement includes being a member of the board of trustees of the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland and sitting on the board of directors of the not-for-profit International Student Exchange — Ontario.
Beal has a BA from the University of Western Ontario, a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and an M.Ed. from Nipissing University
Irene Cheung teaches French and social sciences at a secondary school in the Ottawa- Carleton DSB. Since joining the profession in 2007, she has had a range of experiences teaching various subjects and grades at elementary and secondary schools in both urban and rural neighbourhoods. She has also been involved in teacher training as a mentor and academic adviser to teacher candidates at OISE/UT.
Cheung is a member of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers and the Canadian Society for the Study of Education. She leads research projects to understand best practices in language instruction and teacher professionalism, has given workshops abroad and presented at education research conferences. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Toronto, Cheung values diversity in background, experience and perspective.
She has a BA Honours from the University of Toronto, a B.Ed. from Queen’s University and an M.Ed. from OISE/UT.
Ann Ciaschini has been an elementary teacher with the Algoma DSB since 1982. She has taught regular, split and triple grades and Core French in half-time, full-time and job-sharing positions and in outlying areas. Her experience includes curriculum writing, presenting local and provincial workshops, piloting programs, peer coaching and mentoring, serving on parent councils, coaching sports and participating in community outreach and volunteer activities. In 1992, she was presented with her board’s Educator of the Year Award for Teaching Excellence.
Ciaschini serves her community as a church leader and board of directors and committee member of Sault Ste. Marie’s YMCA. Her varied association experience includes working on ETFO’s Algoma district executive, political action and budget committees, and serving as a school steward, AGM delegate and active conference participant and presenter.
She has a BA from Algoma University College and a B.Ed. from Nipissing University.
Angela De Palma is an itinerant Special Education resource teacher (ISERT) with the Halton Catholic DSB. Since joining the profession in 1993, she has taught French as a Second Language, Grades 2–8 and was a school SERT and gifted education ISERT. She previously taught in the UAE and South Korea.
De Palma has participated in the Ministry’s exemplars, policy to practice and sustaining quality curriculum projects. She has been a member of OECTA’s PA day and young authors committees, and contributed to its summer PD projects, Daily Occasional Teacher Survival Guide and Women’s Issues Action Kit.
Elected to the previous Council, De Palma served on the Accreditation, Executive and Fitness to Practise committees.
She has an Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario and a B.Ed. from OISE/UT, and is currently pursuing an MA in Catholic leadership at the University of Toronto.
Susan E. Elliott-Johns is an associate professor and member of the School of Graduate Studies at Nipissing University’s Schulich School of Education where she teaches literacy teacher education and supervises M.Ed. and PhD graduate work. Her research interests include teacher education, reflective inquiry and educational leadership. She previously worked as a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 10 classroom teacher, literacy consultant, school administrator and teacher-educator.
An active member of several professional organizations, Elliott-Johns provides leadership through workshops, conference presentations, keynotes and publications for teachers, administrators and teacher-educators across Canada, Europe, the United States and Australia.
Her most recent book is Leadership for Change in Teacher Education: Voices of Canadian Deans of Education (2015), and she co-edited Perspectives on Transitions in Schooling and Instructional Practice (2013).
Elliott-Johns holds a B.Ed. from the University of London and a M.Ed. and PhD from McGill University.
Tim Gernstein is a Grade 1 teacher with the York Region DSB. His first assignment was teaching a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 class in a two-room school in a Manitoba fly-in community in 2004. He has since taught at four elementary schools in York Region.
Outside of the classroom, Gernstein has run student leadership, drama, chess and dance clubs. He has served as technology lead and worked on positive climate for learning and timetabling committees at his schools, and is an active ETFO member.
Community involvement includes serving as secretary-treasurer of a drop-in site for homeless and socially isolated individuals living in west-end Toronto, and previously serving on the boards of his local Lions Club chapter and his local church.
Gernstein has a BA, Special Honours from York University, a B.Ed. from Nipissing University and an M.Ed. from OISE/UT.
Matthew Kavanagh is a secondary history teacher with the York Catholic DSB. In 12 years of teaching he has taught in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior divisions. Over this time he has developed a keen sense of service by sitting on scheduling, staffing allocation and governance committees, mentoring teachers, writing curriculum, conducting PD seminars, and being involved in community outreach initiatives for the benefit of teachers and the wider community.
As a firm believer in strong professional leadership, good governance and advocacy for the profession, Kavanagh has served his Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) local in various roles and completed both levels of its leadership training program.
He was an elected member of the previous Council and served on the Accreditation and Election committees.
Kavanagh has a BA and MA from the University of Toronto and a B.Ed. from Brock University.
Shanlee Linton teaches Grade 8 with the Lakehead DSB. Since 2004 she has taught both occasionally and full-time in public and Catholic elementary and secondary schools in Thunder Bay. For the past two summers she has taught classroom management and balanced literacy in Lakehead University’s Native Language education program.
Linton has chaired status of women and new teacher committees and served three years as her local ETFO’s vice-president. She has also been a member of its local constitution, health & safety, policies & procedures and collective bargaining committees. She currently represents elementary teachers on the Lakehead DSB’s equity & inclusive education working committee.
As an elected member of the previous Council, Linton served on the Discipline, Fitness to Practise and Standards of Practice and Education committees.
She has a BA and B.Ed. from Lakehead University.
Myreille Loubert is an ALF-PANA teacher with the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est in Ottawa. She teaches French proficiency for francophones and provides support for the integration of students new to Canada. She started her career as a French Immersion and FSL teacher in Calgary, where she taught primary, junior and intermediate students.
Since 1998 Loubert has been actively involved in English- and French-language ministry of education curriculum writing projects in Alberta and Ontario. Since 2008 she has sat on OTIP’s long-term disability advisory committee for the provincial AEFO and currently chairs this committee.
She was an elected member of the previous Council, serving on the Accreditation Appeal and Investigation committees and on the Editorial Board.
Loubert earned a BA from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a B.Ed. from the University of Alberta.
Shannon Marcus teaches English as a Second Language, French and food & nutrition at Woodland Christian High School, a private school near Kitchener. She previously taught French at the American International School of Egypt and at Durham Christian High School in Bowmanville. In September 2015, she will return to Durham Christian High School as head of the school.
Marcus sees education as one of the key foundations upon which society should be based, and strongly believes that every child should have the right to learn and be taught, regardless of where they come from or what they believe.
She completed a BA/Program of Teacher Education at Calvin College in Michigan, and has an M.Ed. from OISE/UT.
Richard Michaud is a Grade 7 and 8 mathematics, science and technology teacher in Ottawa with the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est.
Since joining the profession in 1988, he has taught nearly all elementary- level subjects. Throughout his career he has worked to integrate information and communications technology (ICT) into his practice to innovatively and creatively engage his students. He enjoys serving as a resource and mentor for his colleagues both in his school and across the province, and currently serves on the elementary committee of the Ontario Council for Technology Education.
Michaud has a BA and a B.Ed. from the University of Ottawa.
William Ngassam teaches secondary school mathematics and physics with the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud in Toronto. Since joining the profession in 2009, he has also taught Grade 7 and 8 mathematics.
Ngassam’s experiences growing up and studying in Cameroon, France and Canada enable him to connect with young people who come from diverse backgrounds.
He has a Maîtrise de Mathématiques from the Université de Paris-Sud XI, a Master professionnel Sciences et Technologies from the Université de Savoie in France and a B.Ed. from the University of Ottawa.
Sara Nouini is a Grade 2 teacher with the Conseil scolaire Viamonde in Toronto. Since 1998 she has taught computer studies, art, physical education, French literacy, Special Education and French proficiency for francophones to students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 6.
She has served on EQAO exemplar selection, test review and marking teams, worked as an associate teacher and mentor, and served as a member for head of school committees on topics including bullying, social events, student success, PLCs, numeracy, literacy, robotics, information and communications technology (ICT), culture, healthy schools and school councils. She has also served her local AEFO union.
Nouini has a B.Ed. from the University of Ottawa.
Since 2005 Terry Price has been an occasional teacher with the York Region DSB. From 1975 to 2005, he taught science and was a department head in North York and York, and taught science at Department of National Defence Schools in Germany. He has held executive positions with his local OSSTF and is currently treasurer and occasional teacher branch president.
Price is a life member and former director of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario, past president of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers, and the 1994 winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Science, Technology and Mathematics..
He currently serves as an appointed member of the College of Dental Technologists of Ontario.
Price served on the Executive, Finance, Investigation and Quality Assurance committees of the previous Council.
He has a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. from York University and a B.Ed. from the University of Toronto.
Robert Alan Ryan is a Special Education teacher with the Greater Essex County DSB. Since joining the profession in 2000, he has taught Windsor-area secondary school students in either adapted or STEPS (Skills To Enhance Personal Success) programs. The curriculum includes numeracy & numbers, personal health & fitness, social & life skills, language communication, choice-making for healthy living, personal finance, exploring the work world, self help & self care and culinary skills.
As an elected member of the 2010–12 fifth College Council, he was a member of the Discipline Committee and vice-chair of the Election and Quality Assurance committees.
He has a Diploma in Education and Technological Studies from Queen’s University.
Anthony Samchek teaches Special Education and guidance programs at a high school in the Peel DSB where he has also taught student success, co-op/vocational transitions, credit recovery, art, music, night school and online continuing education, and served as a resource teacher with Special Education responsibilities.
Samchek’s passion for equitable and inclusive education led to his involvement with Peel DSB’s initiative on The Future We Want; Manifesting, Encouraging and Respectful Environments and an anti-bullying committee. He has facilitated workshops on teaching for diversity and social justice, anti-bullying, equity and inclusive education. In support of this work, he belongs to the inter-agency Antiracist Multicultural Education Network of Ontario.
He has a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Education from Dickinson State University in North Dakota and a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale University College & Seminary in Toronto.
Vicki Shannon is an elementary school principal with the Lakehead DSB. She taught kindergarten to Grade 8 French Immersion and English before becoming an elementary curriculum resource teacher. She has been an elementary and secondary vice-principal and principal in eight schools across Thunder Bay. Her passion for being a school leader stems from her conviction that teachers must continually work to make education the great equalizer for all students.
Shannon has provided leadership locally, provincially and nationally as an environmental fellow, global education mentor, Lakehead University sessional lecturer, ETFO instructor, vice-principal/principal mentor, Ontario Principals’ Council provincial executive member and Americas representative on the International Confederation of Principals.
She has a BA, B.Ed. and an M.Ed. from Lakehead University.
An elected member of the previous Council, Shannon served on the Discipline and Finance committees.
322 comments were posted on the blogs and online forum.
Jennifer Lynn Stewart has been a First Nation, Métis and Inuit support teacher with the DSB of Niagara since 2012. In this role she provides students with literacy and numeracy skills, collaborates with teachers, students and parents in creating individualized programs, and leads several curriculum-writing teams. Previous work teaching in daily and long-term occasional positions in all divisions with the DSB of Niagara and the Niagara Children’s Centre was invaluable in strengthening her teaching abilities.
Stewart is significantly involved in her board’s Summer H.E.A.T. program (Helping Everyone Achieve Together) designed to improve literacy skills for students in kindergarten to Grade 4. In this work she develops program curriculum and provides teachers with professional development prior to implementation.
She has a BA Honours and B.Ed. from Laurentian University and an M.Ed. from Brock University.
Stéphane Vallée is a Grade 2 French Immersion teacher with the Thunder Bay Catholic DSB. Since joining the profession in 1993, he has also taught Grades 1 through 8 French Immersion, single, split and multiple grade classes in both the English and francophone streams, served as his school’s Special Education resource teacher and as a Ministry of Education French-language educational consultant.
He is a certified DELF/DALF examiner, reflecting his advanced French-language fluency and teaching proficiency. He has served as his school’s OECTA representative since 2009.
Vallée believes in creating distinct, mutual and positive relationships with students in motivating and creative learning environments to foster success, increase self-esteem and lay the groundwork for making learning a positive and lifelong experience.
He has a BA and a B.Ed. from Laurentian University.
Wes Vickers teaches Grade 8 with the Greater Essex County DSB. Since 2001 he has taught students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 and served three years as an interim vice-principal.
Some of his board-level work includes involvement in teacher education, student success, new teacher in-service, vision to practice and performance appraisal activities. Vickers has worked as an EQAO scoring supervisor and range finder, and is a trained accreditation panellist. He worked for the Ministry’s Assessment Policy Branch on the arts, and the health and physical education exemplars projects, and has served on ETFO’s Greater Essex PD fund, public relations and teacher education liaison committees.
A member of the previous Council, Vickers served on the Accreditation and Discipline committees and chaired the Human Resources committee.
He has a BA and a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and an Advanced B.Ed. from Nipissing University.
Nicole van Woudenberg is a Special Education co-ordinator with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic DSB. Her role requires her to liaise with ministry staff, collaborate with colleagues from regional boards, and develop Special Education protocols and resources to support new and experienced teachers.
Since 1998 she has taught elementary grades and worked as a teacher- librarian, kindergarten through Grade 8 prep teacher, Special Education resource teacher and consultant. She has taught ESL in Europe during the summer, face-to-face and online AQ courses, and delivered PD to teachers in Africa and the Caribbean. She is a frequent conference presenter and guest lecturer for university-level courses, and an active member of her local OECTA. She is dedicated to social justice causes, specifically access to free, high-quality education.
Van Woudenberg has a BA Honours from McMaster University, a B.Ed. from OISE/UT and an MA from the University of Toronto.
The College Council includes 14 members of the public appointed by the provincial government. Two appointed positions are currently vacant. For full biographies of these Council members, visit oct.ca ➔ About the College ➔ Council ➔ Council Members. For information about the appointment process, visit oct.ca ➔ About the College ➔ Council ➔ Serving on Council.
For more information about the election results, visit oct.ca> Members > Council Election 2015.