Catholic Teacher Magazine - June 2018

JUNE 2018 ISSUE

MAGAZINE of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association

CONNECTING AND ENGAGING BEYOND OUR BORDERS IN THIS ISSUE:

REMEMBERING OUR FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO STRIKE

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO YOUR DUTY TO REPORT SELECTING APPROPRIATE INDIGENOUS EDUCATION CURRICULUM SUPPORTS COPYRIGHT LAWS UNDER REVIEW

CO N T E N T S/J U N2018

22

INBOX 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 5

UP FRONT

6 CALENDAR/EVENTS

FEATURES 9 REMEMBERING OUR STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHT TO STRIKE

By Robert Smol 12

9

KEEP CALM AND BE MINDFUL

Lessons from our CLC project

By Kendall Cappellazzo

14 THE END OF FAIR DEALING? Canada’s Copyright Act is under review – what could that mean for education?

By Cynthia Bifolchi

TEACHERS AID 15 INSIGHT Everything that matters

By Michelle Despault 16 TEACHER ADVISOR Important changes to your duty to report

By Joe Pece

20

17 TEACHER ADVISOR EQAO and you

By Joe Pece 18 BEING SAVVY WITH INDIGENOUS EDUCATION RESOURCES

By Belinda Russo 20 CATHOLIC CONNECTION Catholic teachers and the ethic of care

By Ellison Musara

PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING 21

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY

22

FAITH, CULTURE, AND SOCCER

Perspectives from OECTA’s First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Work Group

By Tesa Fidler

Stoney Creek students gain valuable lessons and memories

through a trip to Italy

By Anthony Falconio

24

24 BROADENING OUR HORIZONS How an inquiry project sparked collaboration and learning between students in Nunavut and Ottawa

By Cynthia Bifolchi

VIEWPOINT 26 SLOWING DOWN TO AVOID THE FALL

By Anthony Carabache 27 REFLECTIONS ON MY TERM AS OTF PRESIDENT

By Chris Cowley 28 SANCTITY OR SANCTIMONY A controversial school board motion exposes questions about values and

engagement

By Mark Tagliaferri

28

30 FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH Books and borders

By Gian Marcon

INBOX

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE This marks our final issue of the school year. Much like the next few weeks in your classroom, the Association is wrapping up our 201718 initiatives, while keeping our mind on the years ahead. As we continue to develop our five-year, long-term plan for the Association, it is important to pause and reflect on what we achieve along the way.

The year has been a successful one, with many accomplishments to be proud of.

Once again, we can speak to the success of our PD Networks, the continuation of our popular WebExperience sessions, and our catalogue of AQ courses. Our Lessons for Life campaign remains a testament to the amazing work being done in our Catholic schools. And after years of advocacy work, and thanks to many of our members who came forward with concerns regarding incidents of violence against teachers, there has finally been some progress toward addressing violence in our classrooms. But our work is not done here. The Association will continue to advocate for significant investments in training, programs, and professional supports, as well as school board accountability in order to ensure the safety of our members and school community.

There is much to look forward to in the year ahead. This summer we will be hosting our second Technology Conference, “Get Your Head Out of Your Apps 2: The Importance of Improvement and the Fallacy of Innovation,” with participants attending from all grades and units across the province. Come November, we will be holding our first ever Women in Leadership Conference, “Fempower.” In an effort to empower more female leaders within our Association and beyond, and in this new #MeToo era, this conference – for women, by women – has never been more timely.

We will also be kicking off the Association’s year-long 75th anniversary celebration on July 1. This is an exciting time, and we look forward to celebrating not only the history of our Association, but the ongoing progressive value of Catholic education. We will be calling on all members to share and contribute to our 75th anniversary initiatives. If you have any photos, videos, or special stories that you would like to share, please send them by email to 75years@ catholicteachers.ca. It is not every day that we have the opportunity to collaborate on an Association-wide celebration, so we would really love to hear from you. We will do our best to incorporate your content into our anniversary materials throughout the year.

By the time you receive this issue, the outcome of Ontario’s provincial election will have been determined. Regardless of the party elected, we will need to remain vigilant, especially with an increasing number of news stories and opinion pieces calling into question the future of Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic education system. I can assure you that we are on it.

But we also need your help. If the Lessons for Life campaign has taught us anything, it is the power of the everyday stories from the classrooms of Catholic schools, and the role Catholic teachers play in creating welcoming, inclusive environments for all students. So as you go into the summer, keep these stories at the forefront and share them as widely and as frequently as possible. We are united; and together, we are ensuring the future of Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic education system.

All the best for a restful summer. God Bless.

4 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

Michelle Despault Editor Adam Lemieux Mark Tagliaferri Associate Editors Cynthia Bifolchi Writer/Researcher Fernanda Monteiro Production Anna Anezyris Advertising EDITORIAL BOARD Liz Stuart President Warren Grafton First Vice-President Marshall Jarvis General Secretary David Church Deputy General Secretary Carley Desjardins Communications Specialist/ Writer Catholic Teacher is published five times during the school year. Opinions and ideas expressed in Catholic Teacher are not necessarily those of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.

Catholic Teacher is a member of the Canadian Educational Press Association, and the Canadian Association of Labour Media.

Return undelivered Canadian addresses to: Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, 65 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 400 Toronto, ON M4T 2Y8 PHONE 416-925-2493 TOLL-FREE 1-800-268-7230 FAX 416-925-7764 catholicteachers.ca Publication Mail Agreement No. 0040062510 Account No. 0001681016 Cover: Emma Perrotta is pictured enjoying the angel wing mural created by Ms. Marcello’s Grade 3 students at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Elementary School. The mural shares words that speak to the students’ faith journey, while also honouring a student who had recently passed away. Her name, Deandra, is visible in the wing design.

INBOX

UP FRONT SAFE AND CARING SCHOOLS

The annual Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) Forum on Public Education is an opportunity for a broad group of individuals and organizations interested in public education to consider an issue of concern. This year’s theme is “Safe and Caring Schools.”

Held in Edmonton, July 9 and 10, the Forum will foster exploration and discussion on various topics related to safe and caring schools. Participants will engage in purposeful conversations on best practices to maintain our public schools as safe and inclusive environments.

For more information, and to register for the Forum, visit ctf-fce.ca F EMPOWER

This November, the Association will host our inaugural Women in Leadership Conference, entitled “Fempower.”

The conference will provide an opportunity for participants to dialogue, collaborate, and share experiences as women in formal and informal leadership roles within the Association.

TRADE PLACES AND TEACH IN AUSTRALIA

OECTA members are invited to trade places for a year with a teacher in an Australian Catholic school as part of an exchange program organized by the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation (CEEF), a non-profit charitable organization that provides national and international exchange programs and services for students and educators.

The OECTA member will exchange their teaching position with a Catholic teacher in Australia for one year. Members will also trade residences or provide appropriate living accommodation for the incoming exchange partner. The OECTA member continues to be employed and paid by their home school board, and all benefits and seniority are retained.

Visit the For Your Career section at catholicteachers.ca for a list of current exchange opportunities.

For more information or to register, contact Melanie Lindayen, Teacher Exchange Co-ordinator, via email at teachers@ceef.ca,

or phone at 705-739-7596.

The conference will take place the evening of November 22 and all day November 23, in Toronto. Registration details will be available in the fall. Let your local unit president know if you are interested in attending.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH PROJECT OVERSEAS

Want a chance to travel, while providing professional development in-service to colleagues in other countries? OECTA, through the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, sends elementary and secondary teachers to developing countries, primarily Africa and the Caribbean, each summer. Basic travel and living expenses are covered for participants. Applications for travel in the summer of 2019 will be available at the beginning of September, and due by November 1, 2018. Application forms and program information will be available in the For Your Career section, under Leadership Opportunities, at catholicteachers.ca.

CORRECTION The author of My TLLP Experience in the April issue is Vickie Morgado. The author’s last name was spelled incorrectly and we apologize for the error.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 5

CALENDAR JUNE

12

RIGHT TO STRIKE MONTH Fall AQ Registration Opens

12 World Day Against Child Labour 12-13 Collective Bargaining Workshop 14-15 Council of Presidents Meeting 1

Summer AQ Courses Start

5-6

Get Your Head Out of Your Apps! 2nd Annual Technology Conference

3

J U LY

Canada Day

9-12

27

CTF Canadian Forum on Public Education Summer AQ Courses End

Check catholicteachers.ca for information on SUMMER INSTITUTES

O C TO B E R

SEPTEMBER

AU G U S T

July 23 to August 3 Provincial Office Closure 6

Civic Holiday

12

International Youth Day

INBOX

EVENTS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING REGIONALS Preparations for the expiration of our collective agreement on August 31, 2019, have already begun.

The first step was a province-wide survey of all members, to gather grassroots input on members’ needs and desires. Participation in the survey was excellent. The results are kept confidential to the Provincial Executive and the Provincial Bargaining Team, but the responses will inform the Association’s work as we move toward bargaining next year.

The second step of the process was the collective bargaining regional workshops, which were conducted in five regions around the province over the past few months: Eastern Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, Northwestern Ontario, the Greater Toronto Area, and Southwestern Ontario. Provincial Executive members, unit presidents, members of local bargaining units, and staff from the Bargaining and Contract Services department attended their respective regionals to provide input on the central and local bargaining objectives.

These objectives will be revised and refined by the Provincial Bargaining Committee and presented to the Council of Presidents for final approval in June.

In accordance with the OECTA Handbook by-laws, the regional members of the Provincial Bargaining Team will be elected at the June Council of Presidents’ meeting. Once the team is determined, the work of preparing OECTA’s proposal for the central terms of the collective agreement will begin. It is necessary to prepare all of this in order to begin bargaining in early 2019, in accordance with the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act.

3

Labour Day

Even after all of the input from our members and their local leaders has been taken into account, there is no doubt that the outcome of the election of a new provincial government will have a significant impact on how the bargaining cycle progresses. Challenging times may lay ahead. But members can rest assured that the Association will do everything in our power to protect and promote the interests of our members.

8

International Literacy Day

EARTH DAY

24

Fall AQ Courses Start

Earth Day, the annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection, took place on April 22. This year’s theme focused on the effects plastic pollution has on our oceans, land, marine life, and health, and how we can take action to end it.

As always, we were inspired by the awesome things happening in schools all over the province.

20-21 OTF Annual Meeting

26-27 Grievance Officers Seminar 27-28 Occasional Teachers Seminar

5

World Teachers’ Day

8 Thanksgiving 17-18 Beginning Teachers Conference Health & Safety Regionals Northwest – September 24 Northeast – October 1 East – October 15 Southwest – October 22 GTA – October 29

Teachers and their students showed how they are leading the way as dedicated environmental stewards, by raising awareness, organizing community clean-ups, or in the case of Holy Names Catholic High School, becoming “citizen scientists.”

These Catholic students are using rainfall gauges to help track weather trends in Windsor-Essex – and according to weather scientists, the data will prove invaluable.

They even hope to break a Guinness World Record for the largest group of environmental data collectors! You can read more about their project at,

bit.ly/2IguOaU

INBOX

DAY OF MOURNING

LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

Every year on April 28, we pay our respects to, and remember, the thousands of workers who have been killed, injured, or suffered illness as a result of work-related incidents. This year, Catholic teachers, the broader labour movement, and the wider public once again took part in events across the country to pay tribute to those workers and honour their families.

OECTA offered both the Foundational and Specialized streams of our popular Leadership Training Program in the 2017-18 school year.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) took the opportunity to call for tougher laws, better resources, and more proactive enforcement to prevent violence and harassment in the workplace. “Every person who goes to work in the morning must come home safely at the end of the day. Recognizing and stopping violence and harassment in the workplace is part of the puzzle,” said OFL President Chris Buckley. “It must be safe for workers to report harassment, enforcement officers must have the training they need to help, and finally, domestic violence must be recognized as a workplace hazard, with supports in place for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, from workplace risk assessments to safety planning.” You can sign the petition to be part of the CLC campaign, “Violence and Harassment: Not Part of the Job,” at action.canadianlabour.ca/dom.

The Foundational Training Program had 72 members from 38 units participate and earn their certificate of completion. The Specialized Training Program saw 118 participants complete one of the Advocacy & Member Engagement, Collective Bargaining, Grievance Officer, or Conflict Management modules. Of those, 17 members have now completed all four specializations and have graduated the program.

Participants consistently rank the quality and relevance of the information they receive, the materials distributed, and the presentation format as very good or excellent. Further, they have remarked that they find the sessions highly informative, and they value the opportunity to network with staff and other participants from across the province.

The Association will offer the Specialized Training Program in the 2018-19 school year. The prerequisite for participation in a specialized program is either completion of the Foundational Training Program or having served one year or more as an OECTA release officer. Participants who have completed the Foundational Training Program or one of the specialized program modules will be invited by email to apply for a specialized program.

Information about the Leadership Training Program can be found in the For Your Career section at catholicteachers.ca.

OCT ELECTION

In the February issue of the magazine, Catholic teachers were encouraged to get involved in the elections for the

Governing Council of the Ontario College of Teachers. Thank you to everyone who ran for a seat or cast their vote.

Four OECTA members were elected or acclaimed to positions on the Governing Council.

• Irene Dembek (Sudbury Elementary)

• Stéphane Vallée (Thunder Bay Elementary)

• Nicole Van Woudenberg (Simcoe Muskoka Elementary)

• Alicia Nunn (Halton Elementary)

The new Council will take office on July 1. Several positions remain open, including one for a Catholic secondary school teacher. Members will be invited by the College to apply for the position, and a representative will be appointed by the new Council. The new Council will also select a Chairperson.

As in any democracy, it is crucial to remain engaged between elections. Get to know the members of the Council, and be

prepared to contact them when issues of concern arise. Moving forward, we want to hold the College accountable for operating within its mandate, limiting the fees collected from members, and acting only in the best interests of the teaching profession.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 7

FEATURE

REMEMBERING OUR STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHT TO STRIKE

By Robert Smol

T

The rights to bargain collectively and strike were not granted to OECTA at its inception almost 75 years ago. Instead, collective bargaining and legal job action were distant and hard-fought rights that took 30 years of aggressive advocacy, protest rallies, work-torule job actions, mass resignations, and the occupation of Queen’s Park to achieve.

So with OECTA’s recent decision to recognize June as “Rightto-Strike Month,” it is worth recalling what our members, and the members of the other affiliates, had to face before all Ontario teachers were granted the rights to bargain collectively and to strike in 1975.

In a recent interview, Bill Davis, who served as Premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985, told me, “I recall it as something serious. But it ultimately sorted itself out. We went through an evolution, not a revolution.”

That evolution began in the late 1940s and 50s with a very young OECTA advocating for teachers against employers and trustees who, collectively, tended to regard teachers more as indentured servants than professionals – especially when it came to issues such as equal pay for women and the right to resign.

In a 1951 Globe and Mail article, LT Spalding, Secretary of the Ontario Urban and Rural Trustee Association, felt that “King Solomon, in all his wisdom, would find difficulty in solving the perplexing problem which the equal pay legislation would create in the school boards.”

Equally “asinine” in the opinion of the trustees at the time was the emerging threat of mass resignations being considered by the union affiliates, including our own members, as far back as 1948. But as lawyer FJ MacRae is said to have put it, while advocating on behalf of female teachers with the Toronto and Suburban Separate School Board in 1948, “Teachers have been financially pushed around for so many years that they may consider a mass resignation in June.

They feel that drastic pressure must be brought to bear for a satisfactory settlement.”

According to MacRae’s findings, Catholic teachers in Toronto had received no pay increases between 1926 and

Toronto Separate School Board protest, 1970 JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 9

FEATURE

1946! “After faithful service for 30 years, some of the 184 teachers are receiving only $1,600, less deductions for pensions and income tax. And retirement is not too far distant for the 13 women in this group,” he told the Globe and Mail. Based on the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, $1,600 in 1948 translates to about $18,653 in 2018 dollars.

At the time, without the right to bargain collectively, Ontario teachers had to negotiate their own contracts with employers, opening the door to discrepancy and manipulation.

“If the school board was a good school board, they might sit down and discuss salaries,” explains Leo Normandeau, who served as President of OECTA in 1974-75. “But there were so many discrepancies in those days.”

“There were no rules,” says Peter Murphy, who served in OECTA’s Collective Bargaining department in the early 1970s. “It was all done on a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ sort of thing.”

Realizing they could not officially bargain collectively, but at the same time understanding intimately the power of their presence to the smooth functioning of a school, teachers began to employ the threat of mass resignations as a bargaining tool.

At the time, except by mutual agreement, the Education Act did not allow teachers to resign from their positions, except in November (for January) or May (for September).

However, only being granted two very limited time periods during which to quit enabled teachers to get the attention of employers whenever large numbers would suddenly submit their resignations at the allowed time.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the response of the trustees’ associations at the time was to blacklist teachers who, at the urging of their unions, practiced this tactic.

In 1951, with local attempts at mass resignations taking place at various boards, the Ontario Rural and Urban School Trustee Association passed a resolution at their annual meeting in Guelph, stating that “in the event of salary difficulties between school board and staff resulting in mass resignations of teachers that other member boards be notified of the names and addresses of those teachers who have participated in such mass resignations.”

Teachers, it seemed, had to be kept in their place and kept quiet for their own good, lest they dare make bold collective decisions.

“It is becoming apparent to many sound thinkers that some teachers in this particular group may well need protection from themselves,” a frustrated Harold Wagner, President of the Ontario School Trustee Council told the Globe and Mail on June 21, 1955.

His comments were in response to a recent mass resignation of 44 teachers from Port Arthur.

10 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

L to R: Leo Normandeau, President of OECTA; Pat O’Neil, Communications Officer; and Peter Murphy, Provincial Negotiator. (From the Toronto Star, January 5, 1975)

As more progressive labour principles and practices took hold in the 1960s, the old paternalistic standard of teacher negotiations began to come under more direct and consistent scrutiny.

“In one school that I taught [at] in North Bay, the best paid person on staff was the janitor, and that was probably because he was in the union,” recalls Murphy.

“I think like so many other professions, teaching went through a period where what was good, say in the 1940s or 50s, did not make any sense in the late 1960s,” says former Premier Bill Davis. “What we went through was a situation where there was the government’s decision to accept the reality of what should happen.”

But although the government was slowly growing amenable to some form of a collective bargaining framework for teachers, those representing employers were not so enlightened. It was only by the steadily mounting volume and pressure from mass resignations, protests, and workto-rule job actions that the movement to full collective bargaining began to take shape.

“By the time I was President of OECTA, we had 19 school boards where the teachers had submitted resignations,” says Normandeau, who also made it known to the trustees’ association and the government that any replacement teachers hired during a labour dispute would lose their license to teach. “There were nine teachers in St. Thomas who were under threat because their letters of resignation were there and the board said they would just hire more teachers,” he says. “We had a little rally in St. Thomas and I said that any teacher who signs onto this board, at the next Ontario Teachers’ Federation meeting, I was going to request that the Federation remove that teacher’s certificate.”

Rally at Maple Leaf Gardens, December 19, 1973

According to Murphy, in the early 1970s, the OECTA Provincial Office saw “a whole new group of people come into what was then the Teacher Welfare department and we set about radicalizing the membership.”

By far the single most public act of defiance on the part of teachers at the time took place in December 1973 when the government attempted to table Bills 274 and 275, which would have outlawed mass resignations and forced teachers into arbitration. Refusing to show up at work on December 19, teachers rallied at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, then proceeded to Queen’s Park, where they occupied much of the legislature. Other rallies took place in Ottawa, Sudbury, and Hamilton.

“The demonstrations became the impetus for Bill 100, because the press really got hold of this,” recalls Normandeau.

“The Minister was very concerned and called all of the associations who had teachers out, who had resignations, to a meeting at the Royal York hotel to see if we could come to an agreement. We could not come to an agreement because we did not have collective bargaining powers.”

In the aftermath of the mass demonstrations, Bills 274 and 275 were withdrawn and work began in earnest toward Bill 100, granting teachers in Ontario the rights to bargain collectively and to strike. The bill received Royal Assent in the summer of 1975.

These rights have become so familiar to us that it is easy to forget they are not automatic – they are the result of hardfought advocacy and activism, and they must continue to be protected. As we celebrate “Right-to-Strike Month,” we remember our past, our present, and our future. And we tip our cap to those who fought, and continue to fight, for workers’ rights.

Robert Smol is a teacher with the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit. He also works as a freelance journalist and columnist. His work has appeared on CBC News, the National Post, iPolitics, and the Toronto Star, among others.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 11

FEATURE

KEEP CALM AND

BE MINDFUL Lessons from our CLC project

By Kendall Cappellazzo

“Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing this dance.”

AMIT RAY

As a Kindergarten teacher, I work with my early childhood educator (ECE) partner to help students learn how to selfregulate. Students spend two years learning to recognize how they respond to internal and external stimuli, and how to have a calmer, more focused response.

Working with the Grade 1 teachers and the other Kindergarten team in the school, we started on a collaborative learning journey through OECTA’s Collaborative Learning Communities (CLCs). We noticed that there was a gap between the focus on well-being in Kindergarten and the shift to a mostly academic focus in Grade 1. Inspiration to undertake this challenge arose after watching the documentary entitled “Innsaei.” What really struck us was the part about British school children, who learned how to cope in the world by unlocking the power of nature and mindfulness, using the MindUP* curriculum. We set about examining the curriculum to see how it might align with our students and their needs.

The core, repetitive practices of the MindUP curriculum are deep belly breathing and attentive listening. These two things make mindful attention the foundation for learning and interacting. Our CLC group determined that mindfulness is important in all grades. Moreover, it is a life skill or resource that students can carry with them as they become adults.

We have found that after doing the exercises, students are indeed calmer and more reflective. We are observing that students are stepping back from situations in which their feelings are going to get hurt or they are beginning to feel angry. Many students are choosing to walk away from these situations and find a space, by themselves, to calm down. Some students, who have felt themselves becoming anxious, sad, or angry, have independently gone to read a book, done belly breathing, asked for yoga on the Smart Board, moved to a quiet area of the classroom, sat quietly with a picture of their family, or meditated. We have found that with the daily practice of deep belly breathing and mindful listening, students are more attentive during whole-class and small-group instruction. The teachers have also found that our self-regulation has improved, 12 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

which has had a positive effect on our students.

Here are some examples of what we heard: “We find that if the students do not engage in deep belly breathing then their attentiveness and self-regulation go down.”

Kindergarten and Grade 1 educators “I have a great memory because of my hippocampus.”

Nathan, Kindergarten Year 1 “I was feeling very hyper so I thought I better relax and look at a book for a while.” Will, Kindergarten Year 2 “It calms me down.” Sophie, Grade 1 “I like when we see the rainbow when we do our breathing. It makes me happy inside.” Rhys, Grade 1 “When I breathe deeply, I can feel the air moving in and out.”

Ryan, Kindergarten Year 2 “I feel calmer and more relaxed when I do deep breathing.”

Chloe, Kindergarten Year 2

Does the thought of an interview stress you out?

As part of our CLC, we equipped each classroom with materials that students could use to assist them with deep breathing and calming strategies. Each teacher created a calming kit for their classroom. Examples of what can be included in a calming kit are squishy balls, a Tibetan singing frog, sheets of bubble wrap, and different swatches of cloth. The funding allocated to our OECTA CLC project funded these materials, as well as sleep sound machines.

Our CLC journey concluded with a parent night, during which we explained mindfulness and the MindUP curriculum.

Parents were enthusiastic, even discussing some of the techniques that the children are sharing with their families.

We heard that many students are talking about their prefrontal cortex and doing deep belly breathing at home.

Invest some time preparing so that you are ready to walk into the interview with knowledge, confidence, and a sense of ease.

All told, the mindfulness established during this journey has been a great addition to all of our classrooms. The improvement in student well-being and self-regulation has been remarkable.

Kendall Cappellazzo is a Kindergarten teacher and CLC facilitator from St. Ann Catholic Elementary School in the Niagara Catholic District School Board. The CLC project she worked on is entitled “Our Mindful Brain,� and the other participants included Susie Davies, Michelle French, Pina Hincks, Leanne Pemberton, and Lisa Traficante.

*MindUP is an evidence-based 15 lesson curriculum easy to undertake in any classroom. Lessons promote social and emotional awareness, psychological well-being, and academic success. It helps the class promote mindful attention to oneself and to others. Students learn about how their brain works, gaining insight into themselves and their behaviour, as well as their classmates and others.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 13

FEATURE

THE END OF FAIR DEALING? Canada’s Copyright Act is under review – what could that mean for education?

By Cynthia Bifolchi

Under law, Canada’s Copyright Act is supposed to be reviewed every five years. The last time the legislation was updated was 2012, so reassessment by the Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage, and Industry, Science and Technology, began this spring.

The results of the review could have far-reaching implications for teachers and students, particularly if the provision around “fair dealing” is changed or reversed.

Supreme Court of Canada decisions in 2004 and 2012 provided guidance as to what fair dealing looks like in the educational context. Teachers and students are allowed to copy “short excerpts” of copyright-protected material, provided that the use is reasonably “fair” and the source is credited. A short excerpt is up to 10 per cent of a copyright-protected work (including a literary work, musical score, sound recording, or audiovisual work). This is also defined as: one chapter from a book; a single article from a periodical; an entire entry from an encyclopaedia or other reference work; an entire newspaper article or page; and an entire single poem, artistic work, or musical score from a work containing other poems, musical scores, or artistic works.

Canadian writers and publishers vehemently oppose the fair dealing provision, arguing that using these works without paying for them financially harms the authors and inhibits or stifles the creation of new works. Since 2012, not only have various individuals launched four separate legal challenges, the industry has also actively lobbied government to reverse the provision and make students and instructors liable to pay for copying material, even short excerpts.

“What [fair dealing] means for Canadian publishers is less ability [to] invest in Canadian-specific works,” Kate Edwards, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers, recently told CBC Radio. “I think that has culture implications for students in this country. In order for creation to continue, and in the Canadian context, [with] Canadian-specific works that speak to Canadian audiences, revenue needs to come back to the writers and the publisher.

“poorly defined.” As a result, many educational institutions “abandon[ed] a long-established licensing structure that saw writers and publishers compensated for the use of their work.”

The organization says this provision costs Canada’s creative professionals tens of millions of dollars per year. It is now calling for “meaningful and substantial” repair of the Copyright Act. However, this has been met with firm opposition from education stakeholders and teacher, student, and library associations, including the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), who are calling on the committee to retain the fair dealing provision.

According to the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, restricting the use of short excerpts of materials would have a “chilling” effect on education, and the extra costs involved would hurt teachers and students.

“With fair dealing, Canada’s copyright law supports learning, fosters innovation, and drives knowledge creation by providing teachers and students with the legal right to deal fairly with the copyright-protected works of others,” says Chris George, a communications advisor on copyright and education issues. “It provides the framework for Canadians to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be competitive globally.”

In July 2017, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Copyright Consortium made a statement supporting the Copyright Act as it stands. According to CMEC, the legislation is “good public policy that achieves an important balance between user rights and creator rights” and places Canadian students on a “level playing field” with students in other countries. It also said that given that the publishing industry had an operating profit margin of 11.7 per cent in 2014, promoting a “continued, vibrant publishing industry in Canada does not require a change to the fair dealing provisions.”

“Students copying a few pages in the library [is] not the issue publishers are particularly concerned about. What we are going to be talking about is the systemic copying of large chunks of content, so a full short story from a collection, [or] a chapter of a book that are being used for instructional material.”

The review process for the Copyright Act is expected to conclude by early 2019. In the meantime, you can learn more about your rights and obligations under copyright law by visiting www.ctf-fce.ca/en/ Pages/Issues/Copyright.aspx. There you will find a variety of resources, including Copyright Matters!, a joint publication of CTF, CMEC, and the Canadian School Boards Association. As a teacher, you can share important lessons with your students by exposing them to a wide variety of materials, while being diligent about protecting the labour and original thinking of the creators.

The Writers’ Union of Canada shares this view. According to the union, the fair dealing provision introduced in 2012 was

Cynthia Bifolchi is Writer/Researcher in the Communications and Government Relations departments at the OECTA Provincial Office.

INSIGHT

TEACHERS AID

EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS Adventures in minimalist living

By Michelle Despault

I have written a few times now about the idea that “less is more.” We all have a threshold, beyond which adding more stuff begins to stifle or diminish the joy and satisfaction we find in life. In other words, having less stuff can actually provide for a more enriched life experience.

Of course, none of this is just about our stuff. It is about what underlies and feeds our seemingly insatiable desire for more.

– that it will bring us some level of joy and appreciation. This is why so many people going through mid-life crises buy motorcycles and sports cars.

I am not the kind of person who strives to always have more, bigger, and better. I try not to compare myself to others, and I do not feel any compulsion to have something just because others do. You will never see me lined up at the Apple store at 5 a.m., eager to be the first to get the newest iPhone. For the most part, I am content and feel that I have enough. But I still wrestle with the distinction between “want” and “need.” (I mean, really, is 16

pairs of black pants too many?) And I can still manage to walk into any store and find at least a few things I cannot live without!

These were the questions beautifully explored in a documentary that I watched recently, entitled “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things.”

The filmmaker talked to a number of people, including Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (nicknamed the Minimalists), about their experiences with paring down their lives to include only the things that matter. My husband and I were fascinated with the concept, especially as the amount of stuff in our lives seems to have grown exponentially since the birth of our son. We were not ready to pare down our lives to the extent that the Minimalists have, but we did embark on our own journey of purging and being confronted with our decisions.

I recognize that this is about more than having the stuff. It is about the feelings and signifiers that the possession will bring. We never want something simply for the sake of having it. We want it because we believe that whatever it is, it is going to enable us to feel a certain way

But should a cool car or a great pair of shoes really have the power to make any of us feel so good? And how do we feel when we do not have these things? How much is our happiness tied to our stuff?

LOVE PEOPLE USE THINGS We went room by room , very intentionally looking at every item to determine if we could, or were willing to, live without it.

We looked at items in terms of their utility, but also for the joy that they brought us.

Initially, we encountered a great deal of resistance. I realized that I have a great attachment to my stuff, clothing in particular. Everything seems to have a story about when and why it came into my possession, which makes it all the harder to deal with on a nonemotional level. How could I possibly get rid of the jean jacket that is three sizes too small, but that I bought while we were on vacation in Europe 15 years ago?

I also realized that I have a real scarcity mentality. I have hung on to things that I do not use any more, or possibly have never used – waiting for some hypothetical future date when I may need or want it. To me, it seemed wasteful or ungrateful to pass along unused items, especially if they were gifts, despite knowing that I was not likely to ever use them. For those items we just could not part with yet, we set them aside in a closet with the intention of re-examining them in one year’s time – if we even remembered they were there.

I am actually quite proud of what we have accomplished over the past six months.

Our home feels less like a collection of random stuff accumulated over years, and more like an intentional gathering of things that we use and enjoy. It feels like air and energy flows more freely though the house. This is especially true in our bedroom, where a massive IKEA wardrobe took up an entire wall; we were able to pare down our collections of clothing to the point where everything fit in our closet. Now, the wardrobe has been replaced with a comfy reading chair, and a beautiful family photo resides on the wall.

I can also say that as a result of this undertaking, I feel lighter and happier.

Life just feels simpler. We have not once felt the need to bring back anything we set aside, or regretted having gotten rid of something. It has been an excellent exercise in understanding what really matters in our lives. We are learning to live deliberately, and being adamant that what we bring into our lives and our home must add value and joy.

It has also made cleaning the house a little less time consuming.

Michelle Despault is Director of Communications at the OECTA Provincial Office.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 15

TEACHERS AID

TEACHER ADVISOR

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO YOUR DUTY TO REPORT

By Joe Pece

On April 30, the Child and Family Services Act (CFSA) was repealed and replaced with the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA). With this, a key change was made regarding your “duty to report.”

There is some concern that a failure to report a situation that would, but for the age of the child, give rise to a mandatory duty to report, could potentially lead to a complaint to the Ontario College of Teachers, and/or other consequences.

The definition of a “child” remains the same as under the CFSA: a person under the age of 18. However, children aged 16 and 17 used to be excluded from the duty to report. Now, a person may make a report for a 16- or 17-year-old, if it is warranted, and circumstances or conditions outlined in the legislation are met.

While members are not required by law to report potential protection concerns relating to 16- or 17-year-olds, you might have a hard time defending a decision not to report, as teachers owe a general duty of care to all students.

This could have a direct effect on secondary level teachers, as it opens the door to reports to the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) regarding potential protection concerns, or allegations concerning teachers’ conduct toward students who are 16 or 17.

In addition, if teachers become aware of a 16- or 17-year-old student who they suspect is in need of protection for reasons noted in the legislation, you may now make a report to the CAS. This would include situations in which a teacher is concerned about a colleague’s conduct toward a 16- or 17-year-old.

It is also worth noting that, if convicted, the fine for members breaching the duty to report is now $5,000 – up from the previous $1,000.

You can review the full Act at bit.ly/2L2JP0G.

Joe Pece is Department Head in the Counselling and Member Services department at the OECTA Provincial Office.

When in doubt, report

While the report is not mandatory with respect to a 16- or 17-year-old who is suspected of being in need of protection under the Act, members are advised to err on the side of caution: report to the CAS, and leave it up to them to determine whether they need to investigate.

16 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

As always, contact your local OECTA unit if you have questions or concerns, and if not available, the Provincial Office at 1-800-268-7230.

TEACHER ADVISOR

TEACHERS AID

EQAO AND YOU

By Joe Pece

At the beginning of the school year, the government announced a review of assessment and reporting, including the standardized tests administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). The expert panel’s recommendations have now been released, sparking much discussion about the future of EQAO. Two of the political parties even incorporated the reform or elimination of EQAO as part of their provincial election platform.

In many of these cases, the teachers involved believed they were insulated from repercussions because they were following the direction of their principal. This is NOT the case. Clearly, an administrator should not be directing you to violate the law. Still, if you violate the protocols, you will be held liable through employer discipline procedures, or through the OCT investigation and discipline process. Your administrator will also be held accountable.

Regardless of what the future holds for EQAO and standardized testing, teachers who teach in EQAO administration years need to remember that they continue to have roles and responsibilities with regard to this testing. Any violation of the protocols and procedures of EQAO test administration can find you under investigation by your school board, the EQAO, and ultimately the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). The protocols are clearly defined in the Education Quality and Accountability Office Act, and violating them is tantamount to breaking the law.

If you suspect that a principal is directing you to violate the EQAO rules, you should contact your local OECTA unit immediately or, if not available, the Provincial Office.

There have been a number of recent cases involving teachers violating the protocols. The following are some of the allegations that have been made against teachers: n

Information was written on the blackboard to help students

n

Inappropriate resource material was provided to students

n

n

n

n

Incorrect answers were erased by the teacher and correct answers were substituted Inappropriate coaching was provided to students An advance copy of the test was received by the teacher, and was provided to students as a practice test, or was sent home as homework

Once it is determined that the principal is in fact directing you to violate the law, then you can refuse to follow their direction.

Protect yourself from professional liability by reading and understanding the guidelines provided by the EQAO. The Administration and Accommodation Guide 2017-18 can be downloaded at bit.ly/2nrAqFs. It is also advisable that you familiarize yourself with the principal’s responsibilities.

Lastly, keep in mind that students’ results on these assessments are NOT a reflection of teacher performance in the classroom.

Teachers often feel pressured to deliver good test results, but the Association urges teachers not to succumb to this pressure, especially if it means putting your professionalism on the line and opening yourself up to possible investigation and discipline.

Joe Pece is Department Head in the Counselling and Member Services department at the OECTA Provincial Office.

Booklets were given back to students in order to redo sections of the test

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 17

TEACHERS AID

BEING SAVVY WITH INDIGENOUS EDUCATION RESOURCES

By Belinda Russo

The April issue of Catholic Teacher highlighted perspectives on Indigenous education and pedagogy from Dale Lane, Mireille Lapointe, and Tammy Webster. Each perspective noted the importance of including Indigenous pedagogy into education.

As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, specifically Education for Reconciliation #62 and #63, begin to take shape, new educational resources are being produced to support teachers and students.

As teachers, we know that when choosing a resource it is important to be mindful of its quality and impact. This is especially important when selecting resources that support the inclusion of Indigenous pedagogy in education, because not all information available respectfully or accurately reflects the past experiences and/or current realities of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in Canada.

In fact, there are many stories and sayings that have been incorrectly attributed to Indigenous peoples. Misattributing stories is damaging, and perpetuates ignorance about Indigenous cultures.

In an era in which we have instant access to online content, it is critical to consider the validity of the many resources available.

How do we know whether we have selected an appropriate resource? When determining the quality of a resource, teachers can consider the following questions: • Does the resource contain the voice of Inuit, First Nations,

and/or Métis people?

• Does the resource show evidence of collaboration, participatory involvement, and ongoing engagement with the Indigenous peoples and/or communities represented?

• Does the resource support the well-being of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, educators, and community members who may be impacted and/or affected by the resource?

• Does the resource recognize Inuit, First Nations, and/or Métis as existing and dynamic civilizations?

• Does the resource present sacred artifacts in a respectful manner?

• Does the resource respectfully reflect historical and presentday world view realities, voices, and diversity of the Inuit and/ or First Nations and/or Métis peoples that it represents?

• Does the resource challenge or perpetuate stereotypes and/or bias? (Consider images, language, stories, terms of reference, diversity of gender, roles, age, and ability.)

• Does the resource incorporate Indigenous ways of learning to meet the needs of Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners?

(E.g., participatory, land based, experiential, holistic, and spiritual.)

18 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

If you can respond to the aforementioned questions with a yes, you likely have a reliable resource.

Resources for Teachers

The list of resources highlighted below provides a starting point for teachers who are looking for differentiated materials about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit histories, traditions, cultures, and experiences.

Ministry Resources

1. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 12: First Nations, Métis and

Inuit Connections, Scope and Sequence of Expectations (2016) The Scope and Sequence resource document is designed to assist teachers with incorporating First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives into the classroom, by highlighting where there are opportunities for students to explore themes, ideas, and topics related to Indigenous peoples in Canada in each discipline, from Grades 9 to 12.

Level: Intermediate, Senior

edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/SecondaryFNMI.pdf

2. Aboriginal Perspectives: A Guide to the Teacher’s Tool Kit, Teaching

Resources and Strategies for the Elementary and Secondary Classrooms (2016) The Teacher’s Toolkit is a new collection of electronic resources from the Ministry of Education to help elementary and secondary teachers bring Indigenous perspectives into their classrooms.

These resources were developed by educators from across Ontario who have expertise in bringing Indigenous themes and perspectives into the classroom to both Indigenous and nonIndigenous students.

Level: Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior

edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/Guide_Toolkit2009.pdf

3. Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Treaty website Learn more about the treaties, treaty relationships, and treaty rights that shape Ontario. Available on this website are Ontario First Nations maps, videos, current land control/claims, and infographics.

Level: Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior ontario.ca/treaties

4. Edugains

Level: Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior Water – The Gift of Life Level: Grade 3

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

edugains.ca/resourcesCurrImpl/Elementary/FNMI/Gr3_ PeopleandEnvironments_LivingandWorkinginOntario.pdf

Celebrations of Giving Thanks and Acknowledgement Level: Grade 2 edugains.ca/resourcesCurrImpl/Elementary/FNMI/Gr2_ HeritageandIdentity_Changing%20amilyand Community Traditions.pdf

Additional Resources

5. Eastern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Corporation (EOCCC)

Indigenous Teaching Resources There are 14 different resources available through EOCCC. The two highlighted below have an elementary focus, and have been created in partnership with OECTA. There are a number of additional resources targeted toward the secondary level available on the website.

Level: Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior eoccc.org/indigenous-learning.html

“It’s a Way of Life, First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Stories” This resource is available in both English and French. The purpose of this project is to provide Catholic educators with an Indigenous resource for the Primary division. This project addresses the vision expressed in the Ontario First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework, that “all students in Ontario will have knowledge and appreciation of contemporary and traditional First Nations, Métis, and Inuit traditions, cultures, and perspectives.” As this resource explores Indigenous cultures, there are connections to our Catholic traditions and teachings and the Catholic Graduate Expectations.

Level: Primary Called to Learn, Act and Reflect, through Indigenous Teachings and Experiential Mathematics for Catholic Educators (2016) This resource targets mathematics teachers in Junior and Intermediate grades. Through the guidance of David Finkle and Laura Leonard, the project highlights traditional Indigenous knowledge, stories, art, music, and current issues, while making connections to mathematical concepts and processes in real ways. Each learning experience is also reflective of how these ideas are connected to Catholic values, virtues, and teachings. Level: Junior/Intermediate 6. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Education Association of Ontario (FNMIEAO) As part of its mandate, FNMIEAO works to create, provide, and promote the development of effective, culturally accurate professional development opportunities and resources for educators. The FNMIEAO website contains free information, resources, and links to resources.

Level: Elementary and Secondary

7. Ontario History and Social Science Teachers’ Association

(OHASSTA) OHASSTA produces a pedagogical quarterly publication called Rapport, which features a number of articles and resources in support of Indigenous education. The website also contains additional resources and links.

Level: Secondary

ohassta-aesho.education/en/

8. Ontario Elementary Social Studies Teachers’ Association (OESSTA) The activities within the lesson plan Spatial Skills, People and Environment focus on Canada’s First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and some of the potential issues these communities face when accessing resources and services.

Level: Grade 5 oessta-teachers.ca/ oessta-teachers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Grade-5Spatial-Skills-People-Environments.pdf

9. Ontario Teachers’ Federation This website contains a number of useful links to other resources/ supports related to Indigenous content, including but not limited to news, events, and curriculum supports for all grade levels. otffeo.on.ca/en/resources/useful-links/aboriginaleducation/

10. The Learning Exchange

Exploring Aboriginal Education with Dr. Susan Dion (video) Dr. Dion gives a straightforward account of the historical perspective educators need to think about as they work collaboratively to support Indigenous education. She speaks of the need to be co-learners who approach participation from a position of respect for Indigenous world views.

thelearningexchange.ca/projects/susan-dion-exploringaboriginal-education/

Indigenous Collaborative Inquiry, The Historical Timeline by Dr. Susan Dion (script) thelearningexchange.ca/wp-content/uploads/ 2018/02/The-Historical-Timeline-as-Lesson-AODA.pdf

Dr. Susan Dion: First Nations, Métis and Inuit-focused Collaborative Inquiry and Community Involvement and Community Involvement (video series) thelearningexchange.ca/projects/susan-dion-collaborativeinquiry/?pcat=999&sess=0

fnmieao.com/ Belinda Russo is a member of the Professional Development department at the OECTA Provincial Office.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 19

CATHOLIC CONNECTION

TEACHERS AID

CATHOLIC TEACHERS AND THE ETHIC OF CARE

By Ellison Musara

“When I was a student, I remember Mr. Larry Grace always looking out for my sister and me. If I ever had a problem, Mr. Grace always made me feel like he cared, like he was always looking out for my best interests.

When I was thinking about trying to get into education, Mr. Grace was my inspiration. I wanted to be like Mr. Grace. Every student should feel that they have at least one teacher who truly cares about them and their wellbeing. I wanted to be that teacher.”

This quotation, from an article in the April issue of Catholic Teacher, entitled “Indigenous Education and Pedagogy,” described the childhood experiences of one Indigenous educator. What caught my attention was the emphasis on the importance of care, and the fact that the writer still remembers this teacher so many years later.

I was especially moved because I recalled an activity in which I asked my Grade 10 class to write a few words about one teacher in their elementary school life whose memory they still carried. It was interesting that only one of the 21 students noted their teacher’s teaching skills. A few students made comments to the effect of, “Gave relevant advice,” or, “Was always encouraging, dedicated, or outgoing.” What struck me most, however, was that 10 students noted their teacher as “caring” or “loving.”

Clearly, care is one of the most important aspects of our work as Catholic teachers.

The ethic of care is a core value that underpins and guides our practice – it is also what differentiates us.

20 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

The foundation of care

The notion of care as a critical moral value (in general) starts from the premise that as humans, dependency is an inevitable condition in our lives. In fact, one key theme of Catholic social teaching is that human beings are social – we grow and achieve fulfilment by association with others in families and social institutions.

While it is often desirable to see ourselves as autonomous and independent, the truth is that all humans are inherently relational and the human condition is one of connectedness and interdependence.

In the broader social context, the underlying principle is that people need each other to live good lives, and that individuals are constituted through our relations with others.

This is akin to what South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls “Ubuntu,” a word that defines an individual’s relations with others, but also is often translated as “I am because we are,” which denotes that our lives are characterised by meaningful and real relationships with others.

Thus, the foundation of care is the notion that all individuals are implicated in the lives of other individuals, as we negotiate the different social structures around us, including schools. As Catholic teachers, the distinguishing characteristic in the ethic of care is the elevation of the qualities of nurturing, compassion, and connection as the foundation of our professional practice.

We know that in our complex modern world, the relationship between teacher and students cannot be defined only in terms of obligations and rules. Our ethic of care provides us with a most worthwhile

moral-ethical alternative, rightly focusing on social bonds, caring relations, and responding to needs. In a social justice context, it becomes an ethic grounded in inclusive practices and the importance of relationships in which everyone has a voice and is treated with respect.

Implications for educators

For Catholic teachers, our ethic of care opens up new ways of seeing the learners we work with every day. When teachers truly care about the well-being of our students, we pay attention to the whole child, not just how they are picking up the curriculum.

When we pay this attention as teachers, we are quicker to notice and respond to the variety of needs of all students around us, and to take the responsibility to ensure that these needs are met. We are likely to listen more carefully to what they say, and listen even more carefully to what they do not say. We begin to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of each child.

We fight to ensure that every child in the class has a voice and an opportunity to participate, and that our curriculum reflects all of the students in our care.

Our ethic of care compels us to take responsibility to help our students feel that the classroom is their home, and that it is a safe space. As Catholic teachers, Jesus invites us to lead lives of compassion and care in the service of our brothers and sisters. And in doing so, we rise above the notion of duty and obligation, and embrace empathy and compassion as some of the core values of our practice.

Ellison Musara teaches English at Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy in the York Catholic District School Board.

PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY Perspectives from OECTA’s First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Work Group

By Tesa Fiddler

I am the Indigenous Education Resource Teacher for the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board. My family has been living and working in this city, which is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe people of Fort William First Nation and within the Robinson Superior 1850 Treaty area, for nearly 20 years. I am from Kitchinuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and Muskrat Dam First Nation, which are remote northern Ontario communities. I also consider Onigaming First Nation home. This is my father’s traditional territory. I knew when I was in high school that I wanted to work with children in schools.

history with regard to the Indigenous experience. Many people, including myself, still live with the impact of colonization and government policies such as the Indian Act and the residential school system. We have a lot of work to do, but I truly believe that collectively, as educators, we can make great changes. In the wise words of Senator Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, “Education is what got us into this mess, and education is what will get us out.

Education is the key to reconciliation.”

It was also in high school where my struggles with education formally began. I had to leave my family and home at the age of 12 to attend high school, because the school in my community only went to Grade 8. I was fortunate that I had a teacher who was relocating back to the city with his family and offered to board/billet me while I was in school. That fall, I moved from my small northern community to Markham, Ontario. It was an absolute shock! I went from a community of about 600 people to a school more than twice that population. I made it through the first year with only two visits with my mother and siblings.

I vividly recall the incredible loneliness.

Tesa Fiddler is the Indigenous Education Resource Teacher for the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board.

I moved closer to home (only 600 km away instead of 2000 km) for the following years, but continued to struggle with many sad feelings. The reason that I wanted to work with children is because there were certain individuals in my schools that I truly believe kept me alive. School was not a space where I felt I belonged. I knew that I wanted to go back to help create safe spaces for students like me.

I am honoured and privileged to have had many opportunities to work directly with students and families who live in similar situations. Currently, my role is to support educators with incorporating Indigenous content into their classroom practice and curriculum. I am really excited to work with my fellow members on OECTA’s First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Work Group.

Indigenous education must be a priority in our schools.

As educators, we have the opportunity to be conductors of building respectful relationships and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, their families, and communities. Our country has a difficult and often dark

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 21

PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

FAITH, CULTURE, AND SOCCER

Stoney Creek students gain valuable lessons and memories through a trip to Italy

By Anthony Falconio

M

emories that last a lifetime. New friendships found, and old bonds made stronger. An unforgettable experience, or as they say in Italy: Un’esperienza indimenticabile.

Last month, all of these adages were made true for a group of 21 student soccer players and four educators from Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School, in Stoney Creek. They began their 10-day excursion flying from Toronto to Rome on March 28, spending Holy Week in the Italian capitol, before venturing south to Sicily. While in Sicily, the group was based in Racalmuto (a twin city of Hamilton), where for a week they trained, played a series of games with local Sicilian soccer team Libertas Racalmuto, and most importantly, experienced the homegrown culture of the island.

The idea to bring a soccer team from Cardinal Newman to Racalmuto started in 2016, when Hamilton and Racalmuto celebrated the 30th anniversary of their city twinning.

The event marked a commitment to maintain the strong cultural connection between the communities. Although the two communities are a world away, Hamilton has a well-documented connection, with an estimated 25,000 Hamiltonians having Racalmutese ancestry.

One of those Hamiltonians, Anthony Macaluso, VicePrincipal and soccer coach at Cardinal Newman, had the opportunity to oversee the venture from its beginning through to fruition. Macaluso explains, “As Festitalia Chair

Cardinal Newman Soccer Players with the Leonardo Sciascia statue at LIUNA Station

22 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

I had a chance to travel to Racalmuto in 2016 with other local delegates from Hamilton. We made a commitment with their local government to renew the connection between our communities. Part of that began with the Leonardo Sciascia statue project in 2017.”

Leonardo Sciascia was an influential writer, playwright, and novelist who was born in Racalmuto. An identical statue to the one of him that exists in Racalmuto was erected last year outside of a Hamilton banquet and event center, LIUNA Station. The event center is situated parallel to Murray Street, which is also officially known as Corso Racalmuto, honouring the strong relationship of the Racalmutese community that thrived in this area of the city. “We honoured the past with the Sciascia project; the next step was to make a connection for the future,” says Macaluso. “We thought the soccer and culture exchange was a great way to do this.”

Cardinal Newman has a proud history when it comes to high school soccer in Ontario. The school has won five Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Provincial championships, the most recent coming from the Senior Girls soccer team in 2016. The Senior Boys head coach, Gerry Moretuzzo, one of the teachers who accompanied the group, says the trip exceeded his expectations in every way. “First and foremost, it was an amazing chance for the students and staff to experience Holy Week in Rome. As a Catholic school, it provided a really unique opportunity for our students to deepen their faith. As for the soccer, I was pretty impressed with the technical skill of the Sicilian players. Our players matched up against them well. We played our second match on a sand field, which is very common in southern Italy, so it was definitely an obstacle that we had to adapt to during the game.”

It was a warm welcome for the Cardinal Newman group.

Coaches and players from the two sides shared meals and had a chance to bond between games. The students from both cities were able to communicate with each other by mixing English and Italian. Like most teens, they were also quick to share social media contacts and compare playlists on their iPods. The group was officially acknowledged by the Mayor of Racalmuto in a city hall ceremony, and the Newman players even received local jerseys with their names and numbers on the back.

While in Italy, the group was able to tour some traditional sites,

Registratoiponen! now

Cardinal Newman being officially welcomed at city hall in Racalmuto

including the Vatican and Colosseum. The highlights continued with visits to the Sicilian cities of Palermo, Taormina, Agrigento, and Siracusa, where students saw the famed Teatro Massimo opera house, Mondello beach, and the Roman ruins. Interestingly, one of the favourite day trips and standout learning experiences for the students was a visit to the local salt mine in Racalmuto.

When asked about his visit to the salt mine, Grade 10 student Luca Bertolo called it a surreal experience. “Being five kilometers below sea level and knowing that there was only one way in and out of the mine definitely caught my attention,” he says. “It was amazing to see this massive facility in such a small town.”

July and August

The group capped off the trip in a fitting way, taking in a professional soccer game between two Serie B sides (Italy’s second soccer division), US Citta di Palermo and Pescara, at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. The President of Palermo soccer Giovani Giammarva even joined the Cardinal Newman team for dinner the night of the match. It was an important acknowledgement, not just of Cardinal Newman Catholic Secondary School, but of Canadian soccer as a whole.

Both the school and the city of Racalmuto hope to build upon this trip, with aspirations of further exchanges in the years to come. Leonardo Sciascia once said, “All of Sicily is a dimension of the imagination,” and for a group of students and staff from Cardinal Newman, that dimension is now part of an unforgettable memory.

One and two-day workshops will be offered in: Kindergarten* Technology* Mental Health & Well-being *Online workshop options available.

Anthony Falconio is a teacher at Cardinal Newman Secondary School in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.

Full course descriptions, dates and locations available at catholicteachers.ca summerprogram@catholicteachers.ca 1-800-268-7230 ext 476

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 23

PEOPLE WORTH WATCHING

BROADENING OUR HORIZONS How an inquiry project sparked collaboration and learning between students in Nunavut and Ottawa

By Cynthia Bifolchi

While many educators, quite understandably, lack confidence in teaching their students about Indigenous history and current issues, it is heartening to see a growing number of examples of Indigenous education in action.

The inquiry project that Grades 3 and 6 students from St. James Catholic School in Kanata have undertaken with Grade 8 students at Qitiliq School in Arviat, Nunavut, is an excellent example of how educators are using creative ways to spark Indigenous knowledge and collaboration among students.

Led by teachers Kimberley Stiff and Deborah Lewis, the main goal of the project is to help Qitiliq School increase student attendance. However, along the way, valuable learning is happening too. St. James students have been

24 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

communicating with the Qitiliq students to learn more about Inuit culture, and Qitiliq students are learning about what life is like in Ottawa.

their Grades 7 and 8 students. “We loved the idea of collaboration at the primary, junior, intermediate, and senior levels,” says Kimberley.

“Deborah and I decided to undertake this deep learning project because our students came back from WE Day with many questions about… reconciliation,” says Kimberley. “Our social studies curriculum teaches them about the history of the first peoples of Canada, but not about the injustices made against them, or their present.” They already had a contact at Qitiliq School, Grade 8 teacher June Ellen Wells, so they decided to team up with her class for the project.

They also chose to collaborate with teachers Marianne Graham and Cecilia DiFelice from St. James’ feeder high school, Holy Trinity, and

The St. James students are also working with the Qitiliq School students on their own respective school murals, each inspired by this collaboration.

“Hopefully, we are helping them broaden their view of what makes Canada, just as they are broadening our view,” says Kimberley. “This is building understanding, respect, and appreciation of other cultures within Canada. They are understanding that by learning about the past, and learning about and from each other, they can work together to create something amazing.”

This is building understanding, respect, and appreciation of other cultures within Canada.

And the project is not stopping at the mural – according to Kimberley and Deborah there are even bigger plans underway. Qitiliq students are going to create art, like beading and carvings, to be sold in Ottawa, with the funds going straight back to them, while St. James students will create and sell art prints inspired by stories passed to them from the northern students. Also, at the end of the project, they hope to fly two students from Arviat to visit Ottawa.

The project has been a hugely positive experience for both schools. “So far, Ms. Wells has let us know that her students are really interested in communicating with our students,” says Kimberley.

“They were excited to also share a video of their school and community, like we are doing for them.”

And St. James students have enjoyed learning about Inuit culture, and how Indigenous history relates to the ongoing work of Truth and Reconciliation. “I

like learning about the Inuit culture,” says Grade 3 student Sebastian. “It is interesting how they make tools and clothing and use items to help them live.

I never knew Canada was so big. Canada is so interesting.”

“During this project, I have learned many things about the Inuit culture, like how they have learned in the past and how they live now,” adds Grade 6 student Shauna. “I learned this from guest speakers and our pen pals, and also from reading about their way of life. We are also learning about how Canada was not always fair to the Inuit, and how we are now trying to make amends for what we did in the past.”

Kimberley and Deborah encourage other teachers to think about embarking on an inquiry project like this. “A good inquiry project comes from student voice and interest, but also needs to be guided by an educator with an open mindset,” they advise. “Willingness to work with other

educators is paramount. Bring your ideas forward to administration. There is support and funding available.”

However, perhaps the biggest positive from a project like this is the understanding and compassion it engenders. As Grade 3 student Ruby says, “I want the students to know that everyone does things and lives differently. Every kid deserves to smile, and everyone deserves to have the opportunities we do.”

Cynthia Bifolchi is Writer/Researcher in the Communications and Government Relations departments at the OECTA Provincial Office.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 25

VIEWPOINT

SLOWING DOWN TO AVOID THE FALL

By Anthony Carabache

saying, “Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast,” but we rarely turn our minds to how to make that happen in real life.

The integration of technology in the classroom, if done over time, can be one of the most powerful changes in any teacher’s practice. Identifying an achievable goal over the course of a full school year ought to be the target, and that timeline must allow for setbacks and missed opportunities. The goal is to move along the path, not to identify its beginning or end.

One of the most common scenes used to create on-screen tension and suspense in horror films is when the poor victim senses that they are being followed. You know the scene: typically the victim starts walking slowly, but as the ominous sounds of footsteps behind them quicken, the victim begins to speed up, until eventually they are running and – predictably – they end up tripping and stumbling to their doom.

This analogy serves as the final lesson in my three-part series about the importance of improvement, the fallacy of innovation, and the use of technology in the modern classroom. The first article defined innovation and differentiated it from improvement, while the second article discussed the importance of improvement and the need to slow down. This article will discuss the significance of avoiding the notion that innovation must happen every day, as this mentality can trap you in a whirlwind of anxiety and selfquestioning.

As we continue on our journey of classroom improvement and learning about where technology can fit in our classroom, here are some reminders found in past issues of Catholic Teacher magazine.

Own your own change

6. Pick one thing and be great at it 7. Make your goals for integration of tech simple and realistic 8. Do not be careful – be responsible in the online world 9. Change of practice requires patience with self 10. You are the teacher – the most important tool there

Any call to change, whether it is an innovation or improvement, must come with a process that respects the agent of that change. The impetus to evolve from one practice to another must be internal, it must be owned, and most importantly it must be controlled. When the prompt comes from within, it is inspired rather than required. It is selfdirected, empowering, mitigated by our own expectations, and adaptable to our own needs. In other words, when we own the change, we own the flexibility of its implementation, and we own the reach of its impact upon our own well-being.

1. Innovation does not happen every day 2. Improvement takes time 3. Lifelong learners deserve learner benefits too 4. Operate in the “BETA” world and be OK with mistakes 5. Classroom technology is basically like pasta – harness the

unique tools for their specific uses

can ever be in the classroom

We hope you are joining us for OECTA’s second annual Technology Conference: “Get Your Head Out of Your Apps 2!: The Importance of Improvement and the Fallacy of Innovation,” on July 5 and 6, 2018. Ask you local unit for more information.

Go at your pace, on your own path

The poor victim in the typical horror scene never seems to learn that running often leads to a fall. We have all heard the

26 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

Anthony Carabache is a member of the Professional Development department at the OECTA Provincial Office.

VIEWPOINT

REFLECTIONS ON MY TERM AS OTF PRESIDENT

By Chris Cowley

As you may already be aware, the presidency of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) rotates through the four teacher affiliates on an annual basis. With my term as OTF President coming to an end in August, I have been asked to reflect on my year in this role.

When I began my term last year, I was unsure of what to expect.

But events began to roll out quickly, as I was tasked to be OTF’s delegate to the Atlantic Rim Collaboratory meeting in Dublin, Ireland. This is a conference of likeminded, progressive education nations that gather yearly to share ideas and discuss current issues facing our systems. It was fascinating to hear from a variety of European countries, and also to learn about the Irish education system. (After noticing that all of their schools are named for saints, I asked the Irish education official what percentage of their schools were Catholic. His response was, “Well, they are all Catholic.” We can learn a lot from the Irish!)

In October, it came to my attention that the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) was planning to raise the membership fee by 20 per cent. If that was not enough, their reason for the fee hike was to pay off the mortgage on their prime real estate in downtown Toronto. We created a plan with our four affiliate partners to form a united front in opposition to this proposal.

Using our contacts with OCT councillors and, for the first time, social media pressure, we launched a grassroots initiative to get members involved. The result was overwhelming. Thanks to the thousands of teachers who emailed, tweeted, and shared our message, we convinced the College’s Governing Council to reject the increase. The effort showed that when we speak with one voice to the OCT, we can win the argument and effect real change.

One of the things that I have most enjoyed during my tenure has been meeting teacher-leaders from across Canada. Learning about their experiences and knowledge has been a tremendous opportunity. You learn quickly that the nuances may be different from place to place, but the fundamental issues and concerns are always the same: working conditions, health and safety, salary, and workload. Even when I attended an Education International meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, I found that teachers from across North America and the Caribbean share the same issues we do. Many classroom teachers do not realize that their incredible support system goes far beyond the school representative or unit office – it goes to the doorsteps of Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill, and even extends to a network of more than two million teachers worldwide.

Another great experience has been seeing firsthand the outstanding professional development that OTF provides

Chris Cowley in his office at the Ontario Teachers’ Federation

members. From technology conferences, to curriculum forums, to the world-renowned Teacher Learning and Leadership Program, OTF, in conjunction with affiliate staff, provides amazing opportunities to teachers from every segment of our publicly funded education system. I encourage all members to visit the OTF website and explore these great options.

One of the most important roles of OTF is as a partner in the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. As the plan continues to show a strong funded position, in January of this year we restored conditional inflation protection to 100 per cent, and eliminated the special contribution of 1.1 per cent. The latter saves a teacher at A4-max almost $1,000 per year.

As I look forward to the final months of my term, I realize how short a year can be. I entered my role unsure of what lay ahead, but I was immediately immersed in the work of fighting for the best interests of Ontario’s teachers. I have not taken this role lightly, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. As the son of two retired teachers, I built on their legacy of activism; as the 74th President of OTF, I stood on the shoulders of presidents before me – each of whom contributed their unique talents, with the common goal of strengthening publicly funded education. I am honoured to have been a part of it.

Chris Cowley is OTF Table Officer on the OECTA Provincial Executive and is completing a one-year term as President of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 27

VIEWPOINT

SANCTITY OR SANCTIMONY

A controversial school board motion exposes questions about values and engagement

By Mark Tagliaferri Welcome to Halton

The school’s parking lot was nearly full. “Sure is a lot busier than usual,” someone remarked – it was the kind of obvious point one makes when strangers exit their cars at the same time, and feel obligated to say something. Another man nodded. The two seemed to hold their gaze for a beat longer than usual, perhaps trying to figure out which “team” the other was there to support. This was not your typical school board meeting.

A security guard greeted everyone at the entrance, directing people to the gymnasium. The bleachers, which ran the length of the gym, were packed. A row of folding chairs had been set up courtside, presumably for VIPs. On the far side of the basketball court, television crews from CTV, Global, and CBC discussed with a school representative about where they should set up their cameras. It was clear that Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School, in Oakville, was not exactly used to hosting national media outlets.

At centre court was a large, U-shaped desk with 12 chairs. Those chairs belonged to the trustees of the Halton Catholic District School Board – nine elected voting members and three nonbinding student trustees. The optics were undeniable: literally and figuratively, the trustees were sitting at the centre of the maelstrom.

Over the next several hours, the drama unfolded. Nineteen groups or individuals made presentations. At various times, alternating sections of the crowd would erupt in cheers and boos. Adults yelled at students, and at each other. Some left – either in frustration, or because their nerves were shot from the tension. As one woman stormed off, she paused long enough offer to a final audible, exacerbated thought: “Welcome to Halton!” One way or another, everyone seemed to agree.

Restrictions on giving

Before the protests and petitions, and before national media descended on an Oakville high school, the Halton Catholic trustees sat in a much smaller and more familiar space: their board office on Drury Lane, in Burlington. It was there, at a January board meeting, where Trustee Helena Karabela quietly

28 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

introduced a motion that read, in part: “the Halton Catholic District School Board, because it is a Catholic Institution, will not provide or facilitate any financial donations to any charities or non-profits that publicly support, either directly or indirectly, abortion, contraception sterilization, euthanasia, or embryonic stem cell research.” Some debate ensued, and the motion passed – though with more “no” votes than “yes,” as the three non-binding student trustees all voted in opposition.

At the following month’s meeting, the motion was revisited when Trustee John Mark Rowe, initially in favour, reversed course, expressing concern that the word “indirectly” cast too wide a net. Chair Diane Rabenda seconded the point, and spoke of Wells in Africa, which would likely be disqualified from receiving funding because a small portion of their work involves family planning. The meeting also introduced 37 correspondence from individuals and groups in favour of, or opposed to the motion. After heated debate, and some backroom dealings, the motion remained on the books and would go to the March board meeting to finalize the details.

When the motion was originally proposed in January, it was noticed by relatively few people. There was certainly talk within schools – the local OECTA units issued a letter to trustees urging them to reconsider the unnecessarily divisive motion – but the story garnered only one news article in one local publication. However, between the February and March meetings, 35 articles were published and a number of television segments aired in major media outlets across Canada. More than 25,000 people signed an online petition opposing the motion. People were clearly taking note, and taking sides.

The stage was set for the March meeting at Holy Trinity. Who said what, and to whom, is a matter of public record – to its credit, the Halton Catholic board publishes the minutes, full report, and a video of every board meeting, all of which are available online. Many found the procedural elements to be anticlimactic – people presented, the trustees acknowledged their presentations and then voted along the same lines as before, and the motion moved forward. However, on that evening and in the days that followed, far more interesting dynamics emerged, not captured in any transcript. Bubbling up

in Halton from beneath the surface was a fascinating case study in local democracy and advocacy. And although many left that evening feeling aggrieved by the trustees’ actions, or inaction, – there was cause for energy and optimism.

tainted blood.” But it is also personal: Harvey’s wife has cancer, and the thought of the board prohibiting his son’s school from raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society was beyond the pale.

The kids are alright

Since learning of the motion, Mr. Harvey has actively involved himself in advocacy efforts. He joined a Facebook group for parents who are concerned about the motion, which has almost 600 members. He hosted strategy sessions for a group of about 12 parent-organizers. He submitted correspondence to the board, and presented as a delegate. He even contacted Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister of Education and Member of Provincial Parliament for the Halton riding, outlining his objections to the motion.

Catholic teachers across Ontario strive to help all students become responsible and engaged citizens. This can be a difficult goal to track, as there is no straightforward metric for civic engagement. But in watching students present at the meeting, or write into the board – all of whom opposed the motion, for the record – it became clear that Catholic school students are active and involved members of their communities.

This was not some frivolous debate over additional homework or recess time. The students who participated in this process – be it through presentations, walkouts, or signing petitions – were all fighting for the right to give back to others, and to share their compassion and resources with communities in need around the world. As student Ben Sabourin explained in one presentation, “In essence, this motion is really contradicting our very Catholic values. It does not uphold human dignity. As Catholics, we are called to help everyone, not just those who we deem to have the ‘right’ set of values.”

In eloquent and often emotional addresses, students explained the personal impact that fundraising has for them. Not only are they the ones on the ground, raising nearly $12 million per year, but also in a number of cases they are benefactors of that fundraising. Such is the case for Julia Joseph, a Grade 12 student who has undergone two major open-heart surgical procedures at SickKids Hospital. “I am here because I want the kids who shared hospital waiting rooms with me to know that they are important and that their lives matter and that we will support them through anything,” she said in her presentation to the board.

As history has shown, progress depends on young people who take principled stands and make a difference in their communities. If this saga is any indication of Catholic school students’ engagement, Ontario’s future is in good hands.

Activism matters

Subsequently, Minister Naidoo-Harris wrote to and spoke with members of the school board asking them to reconsider the motion. When the board refused, Harvey filed a Notice of Application to the Ontario Superior Court, on the grounds that the motion violates Regulation 612/18, by not seeking School Council input prior to amending the fundraising policy. As a result, at time of writing, the motion has been “halted,” and the board has reverted to its original policy, for the time being.

There will be more meetings. There will be more activism.

As Harvey tells it, there is no “secret sauce” to advocacy. “The key is to pay attention,” he says. “If you spot something that does not sit right, understand that you are probably not alone.

Find those people. Engage that community. With enough voices, you can make the change you want to see.”

Democracy in action

There is no reason to doubt the sincerity or religious conviction of anyone who presented at the board meeting, either for or against the motion. But the debate has also exposed some more earthly questions about school board governance and civic engagement. What is the role of a board of trustees? Is it procedural? Should trustees spend their days developing strategic plans, and establishing and executing a budget? Or do trustees also play a role as arbiters of faith? Should a board of trustees stand by its policies in the face of protestations from students, teachers, and community members?

One of the people sitting courtside in the VIP chairs at Holy Trinity was David Harvey. A retired lawyer and 25-year Halton resident, all three of Harvey’s children attended, or currently attend a publicly funded Catholic school. In fact, it was his youngest son who informed him about the original Halton motion.

There are no easy answers to these questions, but they are worth pondering, because they speak to a broader relationship between our public institutions and the constituents who elect people to run them. Elected representatives certainly have power, but it is sometimes easy to forget that it is a power imbued by the people.

“I thought, this cannot be right,” Harvey explains. “It is hard to find an organization that is not involved in something, somewhere, which would end up being banned by the motion.”

After digging a bit further and reviewing the board’s information, he verified that his son’s claim was correct. “This was wrong, plain and simple,” he says.

As the crowd filed into the Holy Trinity gym on that evening in March, one trustee who voted for the motion could be overheard chatting with a supporter. Offering a show of solidarity, the supporter said, “Only God can judge you.” That statement is absolutely true in a religious sense. But it is worth remembering that with municipal elections slated for October, residents of Halton will have the opportunity to pass judgement of their own. Trustees would be wise to keep this in mind.

Harvey was not content to simply be angry. He also wanted to get involved. “Part of it is my background,” he explains. “In my practice, I did a lot of public advocacy. I was even part of the Ontario Royal Commission looking into the system of blood transfusions, and represented people who had been infected by

Mark Tagliaferri is Communications Specialist in the Communications department at the OECTA Provincial Office.

JUNE 2018 | CATHOLIC TEACHER 29

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH

VIEWPOINT

BOOKS AND BORDERS

By Gian Marcon

The guide who led our tour group was himself an alumnus of Pier 21, and he related that during this period of time, European immigrants were allowed to bring with them to their adopted country only one suitcase, and the princely sum of $50. While the monetary restriction was imposed by the nations of origin, which needed to retain domestic currency to facilitate the rebuilding of post-war Europe, the luggage restriction was prescribed by the Canadian authorities. It is difficult to fully comprehend the courage it took for individuals to embark on a new life with such a meager nest egg, and to try and imagine the difficult process of deciding which essentials should be placed in their suitcase.

Later, we viewed an exhibit of various classic books, in a number of languages.

We were told that each book had been confiscated by Canadian immigration officials, because these books were banned in Canada at the time. It struck me as remarkable that someone would find room for a book as part of their limited luggage allowance, let alone what it must have felt like to have that precious book impounded when they disembarked.

The thought did briefly cross my mind that if I had been enrolled in university in the 1930s and 40s, when James Joyce’s Ulysses was banned in Canada, I would have been spared the painstaking process of deciphering that particular volume of work. Still, as an English teacher and supporter of PEN International – the literary arm of Amnesty International – I am generally affronted by the banning of books, especially when the restriction to access is based on as narrow and fluid a basis as that of an offence to community standards.

In my teaching career, complaints have been raised about a number of books that I was required to teach. Among them were To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Wars by Timothy Findley, Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee, Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, 30 CATHOLIC TEACHER | JUNE 2018

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and various works by William Shakespeare. This experience is not unique to me; according to the American Library Association, more than 11,000 books have been challenged by schools and libraries since 1982. In every instance that I have experienced, the challenge was brought forward by a single parent or a small group of individuals, who sought to remove a particular work from the required curriculum and/or the school library.

Nevertheless, the issue often morphed into a pointed and public assessment on the merits and appropriateness of the book.

Determining what a child can be required to read as part of a curriculum is complicated. Questions around individual choice, parental rights, and the mandate to provide a flexible yet common curriculum often arise when a particular work is challenged. Despite this, issues around a challenged work can often be mediated and resolved through a fulsome discussion about the specific parental concerns, and the complete rationale for studying the literary work in question. In the rare circumstance when an impasse arises, an alternate work that has literary merit and a similar pedagogical purpose can be assigned.

However, the removal of a challenged book from the shelves of a school library is an entirely different matter.

The fundamental difference between books on the required curriculum and books held by the school library is one of choice. An individual has a choice when it comes to selecting a book to read from the school library. The aversion to the mere presence of a book is an extreme position, and if it results in a book being removed from a library shelf, it infringes on the ability of others to access reading materials that they may choose to experience.

Challenges resulting in the broad restriction on access to works of literary import is a phenomenon that continues to percolate in the education system across North America. It must be addressed respectfully and thoughtfully. I know that if I am ever tempted to be a bit too cavalier about challenging a book, or too presumptive in my defence, I will recall the immigrants who chose to stuff a book into their sole suitcase, because it was important enough to carry with them into their new life.

Gian Marcon is a member of the Bargaining and Contract Services department at the OECTA Provincial Office.

PHOTO: @Redshinestudio / Shutterstock.com

During a recent trip to Halifax, I had the distinct and enriching opportunity to visit the Canadian Museum of Immigration, located at the National Historic Site of Pier 21. It was a tremendously moving experience for myself, the son of immigrants, to be able to retrace the steps taken by my father on April 29, 1954, when he arrived on Canadian soil from his native Italy.