Risky Move to a Bigger Pond
My family and I spent 7 rewarding years in Kingston, where we enjoyed our lives and made close friends, many of whom were teaching colleagues. In 1965, much to our friends’ dismay, we decided to move to Toronto so that I could obtain a Master of Education degree at the U of T. They could not believe that we would leave our comfortable life and pull up stakes to move to a big city.
Jobs were plentiful. I obtained a teaching position with the Etobicoke Board of Education as vice-principal in a junior school. It was the right move, but with 75 elementary schools, it was a much bigger pond than the three-school Fort Henry Board. I was going to have to prove myself, or gradually sink into obscurity among the hundreds of teachers employed by this board.
The gods were with me. After four years in two different schools as a teaching vice-principal and obtaining my Master of Education degree and an Ontario School Inspector’s Certificate, I was appointed principal of a small school in southern Etobicoke.
At last I had the opportunity to run my own show. After 14 years in the classroom, teaching every grade from 2 through 8, I felt that I was ready.
The principalship was the job that I loved best. I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning. Every day was different. Every day was challenging. Every day exciting. With effective and positive support from board administrators, I was able to implement the board’s policies and programs to enable the teachers to perform their jobs effectively. As principal I had one goal in mind: to strive for excellence.
Only two unfortunate province-wide fads stand out during my career. The open plan school and the whole language learn-to-read program were foisted on teachers by school boards throughout the province. Swept along by their popularity and the Ministry of Education’s avid recommendation that these were front-line progressive education initiatives, the Etobicoke Board invested heavily in both. Uncharacteristically for Etobicoke, it did not do its homework. The first was short-lived, but the second was long-lasting and much more detrimental to students.
In spite of the odd misstep, a multitude of progressive initiatives were implemented during my time in education. School boards were flush with money. Teachers’ salaries increased dramatically beginning about 1965, along with their rapidly improving qualifications. And school boards expected teachers to keep up with the latest developments in education research by upgrading their skills and knowledge.
Part-time university courses were easily accessible. Free, board-sponsored, in-service evening training sessions were held for teachers wanting to learn new skills in every subject area. Professional development days increased in number and allowed teachers to attend education seminars, focusing on new initiatives from the Ministry of Education, while kids enjoyed time off. Teachers had opportunities to attend out-of-town education conferences, or apply for a sabbatical year to earn a post graduate degree. An innovative 4 over 5 salary plan allowed teachers to take a 20 per cent reduction in salary for four years in order for them to take a break and enjoy the 5th year off to do whatever they wished while still earning their salaries.
School boards actively supported teachers. They chose highly effective classroom teachers for consultant positions geared specifically to assist classroom teachers who needed help. Large urban boards established their own curriculum departments staffed by consultants to develop in-house curriculum guides.
The Ministry of Education conducted certificate programs for teachers wishing to obtain specialized qualifications in specific areas of teaching, such as special education, early childhood, the use of audio-visual equipment in the classroom, and teaching English to New Canadians. These specialized qualifications proved to be of enormous benefit to many children. The opportunities for teachers to improve their expertise at little cost, were endless.
Far-sighted, innovative leadership at the Ministry and school board levels led to new programs that greatly benefited young children. Senior Kindergarten for 5-year-olds, not compulsory, gradually became commonplace throughout Ontario, followed later by Junior Kindergarten for 4-year-olds. These highly popular programs added thousands of students and teachers to the system. Play-based learning helped prepare children from all different backgrounds with foundational skills for more formal learning in grade one.
Until the 1970s, many children with special needs were excluded from school, or were offered programs that were little more than childcare. This changed in the 1970s with the introduction of smaller, special education classes for children with learning disabilities. These classes were taught by specialized teachers with the help of teacher assistants who were trained to help students develop effective learning strategies.
ESL (English-as-a-Second Language) classes and summer school programs, taught by specialized teachers, were also introduced to benefit New Canadian children who were flooding into Ontario.
A new French Immersion program was introduced on a limited basis to encourage bilingualism. It soon became very popular and expanded significantly.
Ed Janzen4 years ago
I liked “The Golden Age of teaching” with its positive attitude from the writer. Ed Janzen