It has been a while since my last entry and we have had quite a bit going on locally and statewide. Most of you are aware by now that I have been elected President of TFT. I am honored to have been chosen to fulfill this role and will continue to lead the Federation with all due diligence and integrity. It was good to see our members participating in the local TFT election process.

Statewide elections brought good news for all of us. Congratulations to Kris Schwarzkopf on her political organization and to all TFT members on their monumental efforts to defeat Issue 2 and repeal senate bill 5. This over-reaching, radical law would have been detrimental to the middle class, not to mention our profession and the children we serve.  Our solidarity is - and will continue to be our strength as we face these battles together.

Please be on the lookout for a Climate Survey. I need your help in getting feed back to identify areas of deficiency within the district. Once identified, these areas can be addressed with professional development, changes in building policy or face-to-face meetings to resolve issues that are hindering the teaching and learning environment.

One area that we are currently working on stems from the Transformation Plan the district implemented this year. TFT is working with the district to increase support and help teachers and paras who are in a new grade level and may be struggling to build rapport with students or identify appropriate routines in a new setting. Transformation Coaches will provide assistance in whatever form is needed. Posting and interviewing for Transformation Coaches will begin soon. We are also working on designing and implementing professional development to address specific needs that have arisen for special education teachers, in-class support teachers and paras.

Finally, my vision for TFT itself is to clearly identify our standing as a strong pillar in the Toledo Community. I see this as a two-fold effort.  First, many of our teachers currently provide services every day that go above and beyond their role as classroom teacher, para or substitute. Far too often, these efforts are known only to a few. In the future, TFT will provide the opportunity and the medium for teachers to bring these moments of service to light so that the public can begin to fully appreciate the valuable contribution teachers make every day. The second focus of TFT will come in the form of a request for information and action from our membership. A Community Outreach meeting was held at TFT last week. As a result, we will be asking members to become more involved in community activities like serving on committees, donating to food drives, or simply attending events to represent TFT’s commitment to the community in which our students live. Time commitments and involvement levels will vary – many will be flexible enough to fit even the tightest schedules. It is my hope that every member will find a personal fit for contributing their time or other resources in some way. Together, we will continue to be a union of professionals that is connected and visible to the community we serve.

 

 

 

Kevin Dalton, President of TFT