Ministry of Education Press Release - 2004-10-05 at 18:05
Ministry of Education
Ontarians asked to thank a teacher
McGuinty Government Celebrates Educators On World Teachers' Day
TORONTO, Oct. 5 /CNW/ - Education Minister Gerard Kennedy today asked Ontarians to help mark World Teachers' Day by thanking a local teacher of their choice.
"A great part of the 'public' in publicly funded education comes from teachers' dedication," said Kennedy. "I think that, when it comes right down to it, most will agree that teachers teach to make a difference in students' lives. We need to stop taking that for granted."
Kennedy noted that according to the Ontario College of Teachers, one in three new teachers in Ontario leave the profession in the first five years.
Since taking office one year ago, the McGuinty government has worked to establish a genuine partnership with teachers and education workers -- one that respects them as professionals and values the vital role they play each day in Ontario's classrooms. Results achieved to date include:
- Introduced legislation to repeal the previous government's failed, so-called Professional Learning Program, which required teachers to take 14 courses in prescribed categories every 5 years or lose their teaching certificate;
- Hired more than 1,100 new teachers as a first step in reducing class size in the early grades;
- Provided over 7,500 junior kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers with the latest teaching resources and techniques through the government's summer literacy and numeracy training program; and
- Trained an additional 8,000 junior kindergarten to Grade 3 lead teachers and began training an additional 8,000 lead teachers for Grades 4 to 6.
Kennedy is encouraging Ontarians to take the time today to make a phone call, write a letter or send an e-mail to thank a teacher they know.
