All areas being affected by work to rule are administrative
To the Expositor:
I am writing this letter in response to the headline, ‘Elementary teachers withdraw voluntary activities,’ by Michael Erskine in the June 3 edition of this paper. I felt the need to clarify the position of ETFO, our current work to rule measures and the ongoing practice of elementary teachers, specifically at Little Current Public School. I am a teacher at this fine school and the teachers here are proud to say that we have not withdrawn voluntary activities. In fact, no where in the article is there any reference to voluntary activities. All areas being affected by work to rule are administrative. The children are in class every day, enjoying a rich learning environment and as I walked through the halls last week, here is a small sampling of voluntary activities I witnessed happening in our school, for our children: coaching, track and field events here, Island-wide and in Sudbury, planning of field trips, pow wow planning, class fundraising for various charities, graduation preparations, providing extra support for students at recess, peer collaborations, submissions for the La Cloche art show being collected, selected and framed, planning the Community Picnic and Talent show, rehearsals for talent show participants, cooking and the end of year celebrations being planned. The list goes on. These voluntary activities are carried out by teachers on our own time, by choice, in order to enrich the learning experiences and celebrate the children in our care, and we do them happily.
Pam Rohn
Grade SK/1
Little Current Public School
