By Donna Marie Kennedy
The College of Teachers
successfully made the case to the government that
Ontario students have the right to be taught by
College members who have demonstrated their
commitment to quality education by becoming
qualified, certified professionals.
When Minister of
Education and Training Dave Johnson withdrew four
clauses of Bill 160 – just days after the
College Council had recommended all four be
withdrawn – it was a clear recognition of
the teaching profession’s new mandate to set
standards of practice and discipline in the
public interest.
In the last issue of Professionally
Speaking, I reported that Minister
of Education and Training John Snobelen had agreed to meet College
officials early in September, after the Education Improvement Commission
(EIC) reported, to discuss the issue of teacher qualifications.
As we expected, the
EIC recommended the addition of uncertified
instructors to the staffs of the province’s
schools. Unfortunately, the meetings we expected
were not held.
The College issued a
public statement when the EIC report came
out, clearly spelling out the profession’s
concern that the EIC’s recommendations would
undermine public accountability for the standards
of practice and professional conduct in the
classroom.
Two
Classes of Teachers
But when Bill 160
was tabled, it was obvious that the
College’s concerns had not been taken into
account. The College’s legal counsel advised
us that the bill clearly empowered the government
to establish two classes of teachers –
members of the College and others – and that
the other, non-certified instructors could be
placed in sole charge of classrooms.
Registrar Margaret
Wilson and I consulted widely with members of Council and the College and
continued our lobbying efforts. But as the bill
moved swiftly through the legislature, we decided
that it was important for the College to state
our position very publicly.
While College staff
worked to develop a brief to the standing committee
reviewing Bill 160, we convened a special session
of the Council on short notice. Council had a
wide-ranging discussion of the issue and voted to
recommend to the new minister, Dave Johnson, that
he withdraw four clauses of the bill. This recommendation from teachers’
professional licensing body received significant
media coverage.
The Registrar and I
requested a meeting with Mr. Johnson. He
responded quickly with an agreement to meet and a
letter stating, "It is certainly not this
government’s intention that Bill 160 would
change teacher qualifications or alter the role
of the College."
When we met with the
minister, he asked if we would meet at the staff
level to discuss the issues. College and ministry
staff met the following day.
The government has
now withdrawn the four problem clauses. Clearly,
the College of Teachers, which has just taken on
the responsibility for self-regulation, made
credible arguments in defence of our mandate.
New
Responsibility
Just 16 months ago,
the Ontario legislature recognized the teaching
profession’s specialized knowledge and skill
and trusted the profession to use that knowledge
and skill to advance and protect the public
interest. I believe we have done just that.
Quality education
can not be based on the assumption that seemed to
underlie the clauses that concerned the College
– the supposition that possession of
knowledge and skill is synonymous with the
capacity to impart that knowledge and skill to
students. The research on effective teaching
clearly shows that this assumption is wrong.
The College of
Teachers is still in its infancy and just
beginning to establish who we are with our
members, the public and politicians. And while we
want to work with all the partners in education,
I believe the College’s actions on this
issue show that we will react quickly and
effectively on professional issues that affect
the College’s mandate, which is to uphold
the public interest and the interests of our
profession.
