Education Matters Online
Recognitions

Volume 3, Issue 5: June 27, 2005

Lawrence Petch

Ed VanPuymbroek

Toast to the Retirees:
By Wendy Anes Hirschegger, District President

I am going to start with a quotation from a book called Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Teach and I am going to take a few small liberties with the quotation in that I will be substituting some wording to make it inclusive of all education workers, not just teachers. I think that this is reflective both of the OSSTF, which is inclusive of all education workers, and of the Thames Valley District School Board’s Vision which holds that all employees, no matter what they do or where they work, whether directly with students or not, contribute in some way to improving student learning–and that, ultimately, is what all of us are all about in public education.

In their “Note to Readers”, the editors say, “Anybody who has ever been a student knows what we mean when we say we need teachers [and education workers] who have fire. Fire as in exuberance, vitality, and passion. Fire as in being alive for the subjects they teach [and the work they do], being open to and energized by the relationships they forge with their students [and their colleagues]....Most of us came to teaching [, to public education,] with a zest for children, an ethic of service, and a mission to forge a better world through the act of teaching others. But to do it well over the span of a school year and the stretch of a career...is no small task....Yet if schools are to be places that promote academic, social, and personal development for students, everything hinges on the presence of intelligent, passionate, caring teachers [and education workers].”

We are here tonight to celebrate the careers of fifty-nine such individuals and to honour the contributions that they have made to public education. To the retirees, both those who are here tonight and those who could not be, on behalf of OSSTF District 11, I say thank you. Thank you for your exuberance, your vitality, and your passion over the years of your career. Thank you for your ethic of service and for making the world a better place through your dedication to public education. Thank you for your fire. And now, I will ask you all to raise a glass: To the retirees. May your memories be fond, may the friendships you have made over the years endure, and may those lives you have touched do you proud. Happy retirement to you all.

Responses on Behalf of the Retirees:

By Kae Ackland, Montcalm S.S.

Fellow Retirees, fellow OSSTF colleagues and special guests. As I look around the room, and see the hundreds of years of experience gathered here, I realize how daunting this task is, especially when you consider that I am not your typical 30 plus year veteran teacher.  After University, I went to work in business and then 16 years ago I started my teaching career.  You could say I did transition years before it was vogue in education.  

Although my situation may have been unique, I went into teaching for the same reasons most of you did:  the money, the pension and the holidays.  You will never win that argument.  Just smile and walk away from it.    We all know that most of us went into teaching with a passion for our subject area, and, a desire to make a difference in the life of a child.   

Yes, there were days, we wondered whether we were making a difference particularly in the last 10 tough years.  But our passion and our commitment carried us through many experiences, for example, the amalgamation of the Board; whole language; RAE days; Bill 160 and the resulting weeks of political protest in 97; transition years; destreaming, rubrics, KICA, literacy and numeracy programs EQAO testing, Benettizing with its fishbone and Venn diagrams; and, ensuring that our students had enduring understandings as we raced through the curriculum.   

And, let's not forget the computerized marking systems - Maplewood and Markbook and the introduction of more accurate and meaningful curriculum comments.   What a challenge - especially for those who struggled with learning the keyboard, log-ins and passwords.  I never did learn the ones for TVARRIS.   Oh yes, the wonderful acronyms:  ISA, IEP, RST, LST, LTD, LTSIP, and , of course, for  those of you who have missed the last few staff meetings,  the newest initiative (if you haven’t heard) is the Professional Learning Community otherwise known at the School Effectiveness Committee, in short SEC.   Hopefully the college of teachers doesn't get wind of this..

For most of you the past 30 years have meant, on average, a new principal and superintendent every three years.  Boy, we have trained a lot of them.  With every new change at that level, teachers are put through the process again - your got it, of revising goals and finding a short phrase that better emphasizes what we do. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mention the latest new goal - improving the pass rate  - when it was first mentioned, I thought what a great idea - lets make the pass rate 60%.  We all know, if you set your standards high, some students will come up to it.   

And, allaying our concerns and exasperations was OSSTF - keeping us calm.  I wish I had a toonie for every time an OSSTF rep said "All we can do is suggest - we cannot tell them how to manage" and "Don't touch the students". 

OSSTF - to me is similar to a parent or a mentoring teacher, always non-judgemental, unconditional support no matter how bad anyone was  and  just as in most of your classes, the majority of the kids are great, but there is always that one  even with teachers. 

Our OSSTF reps worked tirelessly on negotiations and resolving grievances (remember the huge number of grievances resulting from large class sizes.)  And don’t forget the numerous books and lesson plans such as crisis management and human rights.   Most of us only dealt with OSSTF for very minor things - a warm welcome to our workplace, fixing a mistake in our pay cheque, but for others OSSTF was there when they needed help most.  It didn't matter the time or day, you could always contact someone at District Office or get a phone number to reach a rep.  If they were not available immediately, they would try and get back to you within 24 hours.  As a Past co-President of Montcalm’s Branch and a District Councilor, it was not unusual to get their phone calls late in the evening.  And, if you ever had a chance to note the time on some of their e-mails, I’m not quite sure whether they went out really late at night or really early in the morning.  Whichever, they keep long hours on our behalf. 

Most of us our looking to retirement with anticipation but some will have feelings of anxiety, bewilderment, sadness, tension, optimism, excitement.  Take time – its okay to feel these emotions.  Just remember the advice from research and those who have retired before – in a few weeks you, too, will look younger.  And of course, OSSTF will be there for you in the form of the Active Retired Members Association. 

Without their constant support, words of encouragement, and interventions on our behalf, some of us would not be in a position to retire. 

On behalf of the retirees, please join in me in thanking our hard working members at District and Provincial Ontario Secondary School Teacher Federation offices.  Please stand: “To OSSTF.”   

I leave you with the following.  Remember, in 100 years, it won't matter how big the house we owned, how large our bank account, what kind of car we drove, what will be important is that we made the difference in the life of a child. Thank you.

By Michael McCann, College Avenue S.S.

Over the last thirty years I have often heard the complaint that "all we get for our fees is the yearly pocket planner". But they were wrong: they give you a really great dinner at the end as well. I always hoped that those making the complaint were jesting and realized just how important our Federation is. The Federation is, after all, us--each one of us individually and each of us together.

The OSSTF has, over my career, insured that we were the envy of teachers not just in Canada but around the world. Our leadership always came from the same place--branches and staff rooms all around the province. People who gave freely of their time, being on committees, serving on councils, and serving our needs so that our voices could be heard. Yes, there may have been discussion you didn't agree with, but it's no different in any family. We have always been, to the core, a democratic body working towards the best interests, not just of ourselves, but of the students and the communities we serve.

I would like to thank OSSTF staff who work diligently locally and provincially to run thinks smoothly. And in thanking the OSSTF, I am in fact thanking you and all OSSTF members past and present, and proudly proclaim, "I am a member of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation." It means that I care for education in this province. Thank you.

Let us not take thought for our separate interests, but let us help one another.
(OSSTF Motto)

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