August 2007
August 2007, Issue 37
Your College and You
Thank you for your interest in receiving breaking news and professional information from the Ontario College of Teachers.
In this Issue:
Ontario teachers say they have been the subject of comment by cyberbullies.
Cyberbullies Concern Teachers
Eighty-four per cent of Ontario teachers say they have been the subject of comment by cyberbullies who use e-mail and the Internet to criticize their teachers' appearance and grading skills, spread harmful gossip and even make threats of physical harm.
Ontario teachers responding to the annual survey of members conducted by the College's magazine Professionally Speaking say that schools and boards need to do more to counteract the trend.
The incidence of cyberbullying among French-speaking teachers is even greater - 93 per cent of Ontario's French secondary school teachers have been the subject of electronic comment.
"Teachers are overwhelmingly aware of the issue of cyberbullying," said Council Chair Don Cattani. "The results of the survey support and corroborate initiatives undertaken by the Minister of Education, teacher federations and principal associations to educate teachers in this regard."
The magazine's fifth annual survey of the State of the Teaching Profession probed teachers' opinions on a range of issues covering career satisfaction, classroom quality, teacher supply and cyberbullying.
You can see the survey and Professionally Speaking's coverage at www.oct.ca.
Top of page
More Time to Reach Us
We're looking at ways to make it easier for you to reach us, so we're conducting a pilot project. We're opening our phone lines for an hour longer each day.
From August 13 to September 15, Client Services staff will be available to take your calls from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Our registration counter and office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will remain the same.
If you have any questions, please contact Client Services at 416-961-8800 or 1-888-534-2222 (toll-free in Ontario) or e-mail info@oct.ca.
Top of page
Teachers' Qualifications Revised
New courses are being developed and existing courses revised that will update teacher education programs and provide new professional learning options for practising teachers.
The provincial government has approved a number of College-recommended changes that came after a review of teachers' qualifications that the College undertook in 2005 and 2006 with broad participation from the education sector in Ontario.
The College will develop course guidelines for providers of the new courses who will begin offering new and revised courses beginning in September 2008.
Members of the College and education stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide input during the course development process.
A complete list of the new courses to be developed for 2008 will be available shortly on the College web site at www.oct.ca.
Top of page
Now More Than 6,000 Resources For You
You can choose from among more than 6,000 books and videos available in the Margaret Wilson Library.
We will mail books and videos postage-free to your home or school address. Using a special-return mailing label, you can mail books back to the library free of charge.
The library has a circulating collection of more than 6,000 books and videos, approximately 200 professional journals and many other resources in English and French. You can search the library database online from the College web site.
Simply log into your Members' Area account to request books and videos, check the status of your holds, renew materials you've checked out and create your own library lists.
You can also request a literature search by library staff, who will mail, fax or e-mail the journal articles.
More information regarding the library and its resources or e-mail library@oct.ca.
Olivia Hamilton
Ontario College of Teachers
Margaret Wilson Library
121 Bloor St. E.
Toronto ON M4W 3M5
Phone: 416-961-8800 ext. 679 or 1-888-534-2222 ext. 679
Fax: 416-961-9838
Top of page
Your College And You
If you do not wish to continue receiving Your College And You, change your profile in the Members' Area.
If you wish to reply to this message, please provide your name and registration number so that we can provide an accurate and detailed response.
