Journey's End

Looks like the time for campaigning has come to an end, leaving me with regret about how many schools I simply was not able to visit and how many teachers I just could not reach. I wish I could have travelled everywhere, and I covered as many kilometers as I possible could, but it just was too little time for so much distance.
I really appreciate having met as many fellow teachers as I did, and am grateful for the time you took to greet me, speak to me, give me a tour of your school, and carry my greetings to those on your staff with whom I was unable to make contact. With all you have to do in the run of a day, thank you for allowing me a few precious moments.

Impressed

Over thirty schools in 2 days... the week is flying and I have only scratched the surface when it comes to contacting teachers. But oh! What great things I've been seeing in our schools! It seems that for every need we identify as teachers, we take the initative to provide the service to students. Teacher-directed programs feed kids, help provide school supplies, and offer countless other services, all important. However, we are spreading ourselves increasingly thin. My goal is to see the creation of a system where a teacher identifies the need and an appropriate companion agency offers the service, whether it be social, medical or psychological. We need help in the form of dollars for programs and the experts to run them! We want to do everything, and we're trying, but there simply are too few hours in a day. I admire my fellow teachers for their caring, concern and compassion, but must remind you all--- make time yourselves too!

Hello........I must be going!

What a hectic time of year to try to visit teachers! Sometimes the best we can manage is a wave and a smile. To those who have had the time to say 'hello' and exchange a word or two,thank you. I hope you'll send my greetings and best wishes onward to your colleagues and assure them I'd love to hear from them at their convenience via email or by phone to answer questions or discuss issues.
Thanks again, and may the rain hold off long enough for outdoor recess!

Goals

I've been asked by a few teachers what motivated me to run for this office, and I see that as a very valid question.

Oh my! No one can see it, but I just wrote a twenty paragraph diatribe, trying to explain everything that has sparked my interest in working for teachers. Let me spare you that and answer simply: I want to be a voice for those who cannot or do not speak for themselves.

I have arrived at a point in my career (and it has taken a while) where I have learned to say 'no', both for myself and for others, when simple requests begin to mount up to unreasonable workloads. It's the story of the straw and the camel, but these days, our loads are all we can manage from day one. Too many of us accept overload and burnout as part of the job and this must change. We must speak up for ourselves and for others.

I have been trying to do just that at the local level, speak up for those who are not ready yet to speak for themselves. I feel we must all do the same. No one in this profession is super human, though most of us try to be (some very convincingly) in order to fill the student needs we identify. If we continue to allow those additional straws to be added to our packs, we will break and the students will suffer.

Locally and provincially, I want to see teachers united, helping one another define and redefine our roles. We are not everything to all. We need help and support from those with other areas of expertise. Education needs supports from companion departments and can not bear the burden alone. We need to speak up for ourselves, and I am ready to be heard.

That's why I'm running.