THANKS, TEACH (ERS) A GRAD’S FOND FAREWELL THE MANITOBA TEACHER JUNE 2013 1 Finding Our Way V: Food for Assessment, Evaluation young minds and Accountability October 17-19, 2013 TCU Place – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan JUNE 2013 VOLUME 91 NUMBER 7 NEWSMAGAZINE OF THE MANITOBA TEACHERS’ SOCIETY Keynotes Follow the journey from farmer’s President’s Column Inside MTS Block funding pilot Ruth Sutton and Thomas Guskey runs its course field to dinner table. P. 4 P. 5 Planning, Grading and Reporting on Outcomes Tours • Workshops P. 6 Curriculum Topics P. 7 For further information or to register, visit www.spdu.ca or contact The slow climb www.ffdc.ca Women make up 70 per cent of the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit (204) 883-2524 all teachers in the province and Schoolhouse Phone: 1-800-667-7762 or 306-373-1660; Fax: 306-374-1122; Email: [email protected] 54 per cent of all school princi- 15 minutes south of Winnipeg on Hwy 75 Rock pals and vice-principals. Attitudes about education reflected through music over the decades… P. 20 Small school champion Grad thanks teachers of green scene for lasting impact P. 22 P. 13 Summer Session is a great time 2013 to take courses toward your PBDE Educator on the fringe MTS AGM highlights P. 14 SUMMER SESSION Fees up, down, CMHR donation OK'd Holy redemption, Batman! P. 24 Choose from over 40 Education courses, including these Graphic novels in the classroom Summer Institutes in Education: P. 10 • Fostering School Leadership Capacity to Support First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Students • Education for Sustainability • Storytelling for Peace Education and Human Rights P. 23 • Portrayals of Teachers in Popular Media • Alternative Education in a Changing World: Human Rights and Social Justice in Action • Inquiry into New Frontiers: The Future of Inclusive Education Bill 18 Rally • Inclusive Special Education - Universal Design for Learning: at the Legislature Teaching Diverse Learners in the Inclusive Classroom Anti-homophobia rally draws mmore than 300 supporters For information on Summer Session 2013 courses and Institutes, visit: umanitoba.ca/summer or call: (204) 474-6963/8008 For information on admission to the Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Education, visit: MAY umanitoba.ca/education or call: (204) 474-7886 JUNE This is a joint program between JULY Extended Education and The Faculty of Education. AUGUST THE MANITOBA TEACHER JUNE 2013 3 INSIDE MTS PRESIDENT’S COLUMN KEN PEARCE, GENERAL SECRETARY PAUL OLSON Summer—School is out, mer association presidents’ summer train- members. There is also much work involved Editor but not your staff… ing workshop and preparing pamphlets and in protective services, continuing to work other information items for the welcoming with teachers experiencing problems in nce AGM is over and members George Stephenson, of new members to local associations across their workplaces. turn their attention to the end [email protected] the province. In our public relations and communica- of the academic year, what hap- Professional issues/French language services tions department, there is the September is- pens at the Society offices? Are Send contributions to: staff will be working on their standing com- sue of The Manitoba Teacher, website main- staff also on summer vacation? The answer Editor mittee material and preparing information tenance and updating, the design and prep- ’ve been spending some time lately with labour leaders outside of the teach- is no, staff continue to work. The Manitoba Teacher around the resolutions passed at AGM for aration of the SAGE online program and ing profession. Once the new provincial executive meet- 191 Harcourt Street implementation next year. In addition, work registration process, publications for schools I attended part of the Manitoba Nurses’ Union AGM in Brandon and ing is over in June, work for staff members Winnipeg, MB R3J 3H2 continues on the arrangements for meeting start-up and the production and distribu- heard about nurses� issues for the better part of a day. I’ve met with the involves preparation for our summer work- Phone: (204) 831-3058 space, speaker invitations and content for the tion of the teacher handbook to be done. presidents of the Manitoba Federation of Labour and the Winnipeg Labour shops and training seminars and for the early Fax: (204) 831-0877 numerous workshops that occur in profes- Finally, this summer we are also implement- Council. If you read the last edition of The Teacher then you saw an interview with Fall sessions that occur in three basic areas: I Published seven times a year (September– sional development areas for certification and ing our new software installation and making the President of the MGEU, and she and I have run into one another twice in the governance, professional development/ the “Fab 5” beginning career teacher events it ‘live’ this summer so that our future opera- last three weeks. At a conference in Toronto several weeks ago now I met and spoke June) by The Manitoba Teachers’ Society. French language services; and employee ben- occurring in Winnipeg and Brandon. It is in- tions reap the benefits of an entirely restruc- with any number of provincial and national labour leaders. I’m scheduling follow- Articles and views published herein do not efits and bargaining. In addition, our EAP teresting to note that the Society provided 19 tured process for managing the huge amounts up meetings with a few from Manitoba. necessarily represent the policies nor the and DBP staff continue to provide services such events last year, consisting of 40 days of of data that we handle in the building. What’s most interesting to me about these conversations is the commonality of views of the Society. to members through the summer weeks. presentations and seminars. It has been a pleasure to work on your the concerns facing the members of these various unions. I cannot name a single The Manitoba Teacher welcomes story ideas In our governance area, staff are prepar- In employee benefits and teacher bargain- behalf again this year and I wish you a major issue that is exclusive to a particular union or type of work. Workplace Safety and submissions from members. Contact ing for presentations to be made with re- ing and pensions areas, staff will be under- pleasant relaxing summer, from the staff at and Health has been a major file for the MFL for years, but it’s become one for the editor. spect to impending legislation that will taking planning for their committees and McMaster House, Bradley Square and the MTS as well in the areas of harassment and violence. The nurses were dealing with require input to committee hearings at the planning for seminars and summer training Brandon EAP Office. boundaries issues—something teachers are still dealing with in Manitoba after the Join other Manitoba teachers who Manitoba Legislature; organizing the sum- for both experienced and new bargainer last round of amalgamations. follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Corporate and government attacks on the rights of people to organize, to create and direct their unions as they see fit, is a near-universal theme regardless of job, profession, age, province, or country. Indeed, the pools of capital and corporate facebook.com/ Speakers named for 2014 MTS technology conference influence that are in play easily traverse the boundaries between provinces and na- manitobateachers tions, and overwhelm them as often as not. Of the 150 largest economic entities he keynote speakers for the next major Manitoba in the world, 59 per cent of them are not nations, but corporations. You think you Teachers’ Society conference have been confirmed. Two well-known experts in the field of educa- have laws to protect your rights? Give it an election or two—and then look again. twitter.com/mbteachers There are those who think that unions should work only on salaries and benefits. tion and technology will head the speakers’ list for That we should “stick to our knitting”. the Awakening Possibilities conference on tech- I will never be among them. We are more, and bigger, and better than that. Tnology, April 16–17, 2014. And MTS is in no way unique in this regard. Where I see my fellow presidents Publications Mail Agreement Steve Dembo, Discovery Education’s director of social me- dia strategy and online community, will open the conference. most often is not on picket lines, but at events in support of AIDS victims in 40063378 ISSN 002-228X Africa through the Stephen Lewis Foundation. I see them at the Leg in support Chris Lehmann, principal at the Science Leadership Academy of LGBTQ rights. I see them calling for accountability of elected officials who Return undeliverable Canadian in Philadelphia, will be the closing speaker. They will also be betray the public trust, and I see them working loud and proud in the fight against addresses to: involved in other sessions during the two-day event. Dembo is a former kindergarten teacher and school director of Steve Dembo and Chris Lehmann everything from child poverty to domestic violence, for public libraries and safe Information Management workplaces for everyone—union members and non-members alike. technology. He has been recognized as one of the top 50 educa- The Manitoba Teachers’ Society Lehmann has also been recognized with a variety of awards for Unions have always been about social justice, writ large. About wanting for oth- tional bloggers by Social Media Explorer and was one of the first 191 Harcourt Street his work in revamping the education system. ers what we want for ourselves. We are nothing like alone in fighting for the kids we to adopt the use of blogging, podcasting, Twitter, and other Web Winnipeg, MB R3J 3H2 His talks often focus on the idea that students are often force fed welcome every day.