There is so much a teacher is supposed to know relating to our profession, but when I was in the classroom, I didn’t have time to worry about these things. The School Act, Board Policies, the PEITF Code of Ethics, and more, none of which seemed to have an impact on me in my classroom. I’m sure that’s what most teachers think.

Ignorance of the law, however, is rarely a defense, and when you are facing your employer, they expect that you are up to date on your responsibilities as they relate to the regulations, policies, and laws that govern teachers in this province. You don’t have to be an expert on these things, but you should take some time to peruse them.

They are all online, by the way. Through the PEITF website, you can access our own Handbook which outlines the policies, regulations, and by-laws of this organization, and you can also link to your Board’s website for their policies and the Department of Education website contains the School Act. This is not exciting reading, but I suggest you try and take some time to become familiar with the things that govern your profession. We, at the PEITF, are always willing to answer any questions or clarification you might need on these documents or anything else relating to teaching on PEI. Give us a call at Federation House or invite one or more of us to come to your school.

There are also structures within our system that I knew very little about before starting this job. The Certification and Standards Board deals with accreditation, certification and qualifications for teachers. Like all other bodies, their rules and regulations change over time. If you have tried in the past to have the Registrar check your certification level, and your were unsuccessful, you might want to try again. Not that the Registrar needs the extra work, but you should be paid at the level that you have acquired.

It is this body that sets the qualifications for administrators. Although the qualifications are in the Memorandum of Agreement, they are there for information purposes only. These qualifications are not negotiated at the bargaining table. There is still some confusion around the new qualifications that were announced last spring. The best thing for you to do, if you are interested in an administrative position, is to contact your school board and ask them what they are requiring for the type of position you are interested in.

The Allied Work Experience Committee is another body directly related to the amount you are paid.

This committee reviews requests from teachers who are still working their way through the steps on the pay grid. If you have taught in another province, for example, this committee will likely give you full credit for that teaching time. It may, however, also grant you experience for half the time you worked in a job that has some aspects of teaching. For example, if you were an Educational Assistant for six years, before becoming a teacher, this committee may grant you three years experience as far as the pay grid is concerned. If you are working your way up the grid, and you have previous experience related to teaching, you may want to check into this opportunity.

In terms of issues, you could probably guess that the amount of days lost to school closures has been a hot topic. Teachers are as concerned as anyone, if not more, over the lost amount of classroom time for students. It is the teacher who is responsible for getting through the outcomes in the curricula, and we all know there are too many to teach without losing time. We are professionals, however, and those of us who have lived on this Island and taught for at least a few years know how to adapt to these challenges and help those who haven’t. More homework, more concentrated lessons, extra help are but a few of the strategies that teachers use to make up the gap created by school cancellations.

Students and parents also become a little more diligent at getting work done at home. Unfortunately, losing some of the activities that give us the fondest memories of school are also curtailed. School skates, ski trips, winter carnivals, and field trips all get cut back when we have winters like this one.

Teacher professional development days are also scrutinized when days are lost. I’m happy to say that rarely are these days ever sacrificed. Professional development helps not only the students in front of the teacher this year, but also future students. It is the constant education of teachers that make us the best we can be and our students and schools benefit the most from these learning activities.

Lastly, the recently negotiated Consensus Protocol for school closures due to road conditions sure is getting a work out this winter. Like all new initiatives it has had its growing pains and we are finally working out most of the kinks. If you still have concerns regarding the application of this Protocol, call me! Control over whether teachers come in during the second consecutive day or not has been taken out of the hands of the principals (who were put in a tough spot) and has been placed in the hands of the Boards. A recognition, although a hardly fought one, that teachers do so much more than just teach students and that they do so much work at home.... and don’t get me started on workload!

Be good to yourselves!