Have a wonderful year. I look forward to speaking with each and every one of you. While I am pleased to be back in the Faculty for another year of interesting course and practicum experience, I feel that it is necessary to bring a very serious issue to your attention. Many of you will have already heard On June 20th, at a time when many of us were busy with jobs and summer courses, the Ontario Legislature passed a bill that may affect the teaching profession for years to come. However, the unofficial story is quite different.
Teachers days are now to be divided into instructional time and co-instructional time .
Instructional time is time spent teaching , working with the class to fulfill requirements of the Ontario Curriculum. The government has mandated an increase in instructional time , so that most teachers will teach an extra class each day. This will mean that fewer teachers will be responsible for more students, increasing teachers workload and allowing less time for teachers to provide individual attention or remedial help, both considered non-instructional activities. With fewer teachers teaching more students, the government can then justify further budget cuts to finance tax cuts for the wealthy. By mandating teachers participation in extracurricular duties, the government can appear to be on the moral high ground, defending students.