WE NEED YOU!
· TO READ “AT OUR BEST FOR STUDENTS” to get informed. A copy is available at your school or you can access it online at http://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Teachers-as-Professionals/At%20Our%20Best%20for%20Students.pdf
· TO TELL YOUR SCHOOL’S MLA (and your MLA and the Minister of Education) what is preventing you from doing your best work with kids and what you need in order to do your job. You can arrange a visit, you can call, you can write or you can email, but we need you to communicate the conditions you need for students and what red tape, “administrivia” and low-value instructional tasks are getting in the way of your REAL work --- teaching students.
· TO UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION INCLUDING HOME EMAIL ADDRESS. Our local has about 1200 of the 2000 personal email addresses of our teachers. If yours needs updating or it you have not yet provided it to us, please email our office manager at We will use these addresses to communicate emergent information or information regarding negotiations to you in a timely manner. We cannot use the ecsd webmail for this purpose.
WE NEED YOU TO DO THIS NOW.
WHY?
· Teachers want to do what they do best, teach students. Unfortunately, conditions in today’s classrooms and ever-increasing demands on teachers’ time can get in the way of us being at our best.
· Tripartite talks are scheduled to wrap up on October 31, 2012. After that, there will be debates happening in caucus, within the Education Ministry and even in the Legislative Assembly about the future of education. It is critical that all MLAs hear from teachers before decisions are made.
· As teachers, we want to do our best work for every student. Supporting teachers in their work supports student learning. More complex students are arriving at school every day and we need the tools and classroom supports to do the job of educating all students well.
· This is not about our pain and suffering – everyone works hard, everyone works long hours. This is about doing what is in the best interests of the students that we teach.
This ain’t your momma’s (or your MLA’s) classroom….
· We need you to tell MLAs about the complex needs of students in your classrooms, the impact that increasing class size is having on student learning, the unforeseen demands of technology, the ever-growing administrative demands imposed by governments and school boards, the need for adequate preparation time and the expectations for personalization of learning. MLAs and the public need to clearly understand how teaching today is different from ten, five or even two years ago.
If you would like some advice or support with regard to this request, please phone the Local Office (780-451-1196) where Greg Carabine (President) or Kathy MacIsaac (Executive Director)are available to help you. In addition, your Edmonton-McMurray District Representatives to Provincial Executive Council would be happy to assist. They can be reached at , and .
If you are emailing or writing a letter, please send a copy to The Honourable Jeff Johnson, Minister of Education, Wildrose Education Critic Bruce McAllister, Liberal Education Critic Kent Hehr, and NDP Education Critic David Eggen.
MLA contact information can be found at http://www.assembly.ab.ca/lao/mla/mla_help.htm
Conversation-Starter tips are attached and are also available on the Local’s website at www.local54.teachers.ab.ca.
On-line advice on how to conduct an MLA Visit, write a letter or email or make a telephone call, and even lobbying advice from former premier Ralph Klein is available at http://www.teachers.ab.ca/For%20Members/Getting%20Involved/Advocacy%20and%20Action/Pages/Advocacy%20A%20Practical%20Guide.aspx#lobbying-advice-from-former-premier-ralph-klein
The Future: It’s Why Teachers Teach