By Donna Marie Kennedy
In each issue of Professionally Speaking, we
bring you up to date on the decisions and actions of the 31 elected and appointed members
of the College Council. However, that only tells you part
of the story about what’s going on at the College.
Almost 400 members of the College of Teachers from
across Ontario have volunteered to participate in developing standards of practice and
accreditation processes for our profession. The Professional Affairs
Department is involving as many classroom teachers as they can in a wide variety of
activities.
College members on Council subcommittees are
researching, debating and reporting on a wide range of issues. The work of
members-at-large on the subcommittees has been very impressive. I’ve found their
research to be thorough and their comments have been well thought out.
The deans of Ontario’s faculties of education
have been generous in sharing their time and expertise as members of College
subcommittees.
Members Contribute
But in my work with Professional Affairs committees,
I’ve also seen how the College is benefiting from the commitment and knowledge of
teachers like Michael Prendergast, a Grade 8 teacher from Prince Charles Public School in
Hastings County and Lori Barkans, who teaches Grade 2 at Branlyn Community School in
Brantford. They’ve been deeply involved in subcommittee work on action research as
part of ongoing professional learning.
The Accreditation Committee’s pre-service
program review subcommittee includes two classroom teachers – John Dunscombe, who
teaches elementary school in Parry Sound and Robert Pellerin from Barrie – as well as
a superintendent from the Leeds and Grenville board, Eleanor Newman of Brockville and
Janet Ouellette, principal of Holy Names High School in Windsor.
Four volunteers from among the College membership
are contributing to Accreditation’s subcommittee on in-service program review: Liz
Falco, who teaches secondary phys ed and French in Port Hope, elementary teacher Rochelle
Williams from North York, Bill Gerth, principal of South Huron District High and Hélène
Koscielniak, a superintendent with the Kapuskasing District Roman Catholic Separate School
Board.
Too Many to List
There are many more teachers all across the province
who deserve to be recognized for their contributions to the work of the College.
They’re working on other subcommittees, participating in focus groups, reviewing and
commenting on College working papers and writing articles for Professionally
Speaking.
The fact that there are too many to list in this
article underlines the progress that staff and members have managed to make on many
College priorities in just a few short months. There are still more months – for some
projects, years – of work ahead before we see the final products.
But it’s safe to say that when we do, Ontario
teachers will have standards of practice and education and accreditation programs that
reflect the experience and commitment of practising teachers who have thrown themselves
wholeheartedly into the work of the College.
And while the voluntary work of College members is
vital to our success, the work of the College staff is equally important. The employees of
the College are an incredibly professional and talented group. The skill level in every
department has facilitated the work of the Council, the executive and the committees.
Annual Meeting Scheduled
Please mark Saturday, May 30 on your calendar.
That’s the date of the College’s first annual meeting. You will find the agenda
in the Blue Pages of this edition of Professionally
Speaking.
I hope you will plan to attend. Council members
considered many different dates, looking for one that would make it as easy as possible
for members from around the province to attend. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the
College – on the sixth floor at 121 Bloor Street East in Toronto.
Please call Charlie Morrison at (416)961-8800
ext.228 or e-mail outreach@oct.ca to let us
know you’re coming so we can ensure there’s adequate seating.
The College is a short walk from the subway at Yonge
and Bloor and is close to the Don Valley Parkway for members driving in from out of town.
