Chair’s Message Transcript

The College made important progress in 2008 on many issues that are significant to Ontario’s teaching profession.

One that is particularly significant is the professional designation for teachers.

Teachers don’t always feel we command the same level of respect as other professionals like doctors, engineers and nurses, all of whom can immediately identify themselves as a member of their profession by use of a professional designation. Teaching is one of the few remaining self-regulated professions in Ontario without a professional designation.

I am very pleased that Council approved in September the granting of a professional designation to all College members upon their initial registration and the continued use of the professional designation as long as the members remain in good standing. The College is now developing a plan to implement our new professional designation in 2009.

I believe this designation will demonstrate that teachers have distinct knowledge and skill sets that distinguish them from other professionals. I hope it will help improve public respect and recognition of the teaching profession.

It is timely that the theme of this year’s annual report is Professionalism in Teaching. Professionalism, as I see it, reflects the care, compassion and insight that teachers utilize in developing the hopes and dreams of their students.

Ontario’s highly qualified teachers are professionals who embody society’s high standards and expectations. Teachers bring their heads and hearts to the noblest cause of all – helping the young to realize their potential and reach their dreams.

In all of the College’s activities – from licensing, to discipline, to setting professional standards – the College relies heavily on the professionalism and dedication of men and women who serve on Council, committees and panels. We also rely on College staff who work hard to ensure that our members get the best service possible.

Professionalism also means working to ensure that teachers continue to be vibrant learners themselves and that they remain current, relevant and critical to public education and to Canada’s future.

Another major initiative in 2008 was Council’s search for a new home for the College. The lease on our current space on Bloor Street expires in 2012 and we have decided that the purchase of a building could be the best way to stabilize our facility costs over the long term.

We have begun to search and we are open to all possibilities, whether leasing, purchasing, or designing and building. Purchasing a building would give members both equity and the best assurance of long-term cost stability, so this is our preferred option.

In any decision we make, we want to ensure that we are environmentally responsible.

This year, we have looked at ways to maximize the usefulness of our annual report to our partners in education and the public while minimizing its impact on the environment.

That’s why we have produced this online annual report instead of a printed one. Our first online annual report saves trees and money and allows us to provide a broader statistical picture of Ontario’s teaching profession like teacher qualifications, and the volume and sources of teacher education of new teachers.

In 2008, the College’s Foundation named Valerie Hathaway-Warner as our sixth Joseph W. Atkinson scholarship recipient. Valerie, a teacher candidate at York University, has been an instructor, examiner and instructor-trainer in many programs, including water safety, aquatic leadership and synchronized swimming.

She founded an Ontario Camping Association accredited day camp in the 1990s to allow children in her underserviced rural community to participate in specialized recreational programs.

She also formed a youth program called the All City Stage Band Project in 2005. The program ensures equitable access to music making for youth in small Ontario communities regardless of financial hardship or other barriers, such as learning disabilities.

The College is proud to honour such an exemplary future teacher.

Council members and College staff have shown themselves to be strongly committed to the profession every day through the expertise and care they bring to their work. To all of them, I offer my admiration and thanks for the progress we’ve made and a job well done in 2008.