President's Message - September 2014

A New Year, A New President

Welcome to another school year and to the first issue of volume 53 of the Gazette ! I am writing this message on a warm August afternoon, but thoughts of the classroom are not far off as I anticipate the start of another school year. My goal with this first President's Message is to tell you a bit about me and, perhaps more importantly, to use that story as an invitation. I will be starting my eighteenth year of teaching (I had to double-check that number), and in the Fall, I will be working with a great group of educators at Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School in Brampton. Going back over those 18 years, my teaching career has seen many detours, and every one of them has enriched me as an educator and person. I started teaching in Dufferin-Peel at Cardinal Leger Catholic Secondary School. It was at Cardinal Leger where I first learned about OAME and our local chapter, CHAMP. I can clearly recall a whiteboard, with the CHAMP logo emblazoned on it, that sat in a central location in our math office. Usually taped to its surface was the latest CHAMP newsletter and various flyers advertising events for CHAMP and OAME. My first annual conference in 1997 was as a member of the Leger math department, and I still have some of the materials from the workshops I attended at that conference. I subsequently moved from Leger to Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS) in the Upper Grand District School Board. Although it was a short time at ODSS, I benefited greatly from my time teaching with a very dynamic and creative group of teachers. They taught me a great deal and encouraged me by their example to be involved in our professional organizations. From ODSS, I moved to Bramalea Secondary School in the Peel District School Board. It was while I was at Bramalea that I first became involved with CHAMP. I answered a call for volunteers to help prepare math contests that we administered in our chapter for Grades 7 to 11 students. I couldn't have imagined that answering a simple request to help create questions for a math contest would have brought me such a rewarding professional experience. I have met so many talented and devoted math teachers through my association with CHAMP and OAME. One lasting impression that has formed is the idea that the best professional development is provided by teachers for teachers. It is from involvement at the grassroots level that some of the best learning can occur. When groups of teachers come together to discuss and learn from a shared experience, we all become better teachers. I think the highlight for me and my involvement with CHAMP came at OAME 2014. As exhausting as it was, it was so rewarding to be a part of a group of dedicated volunteers who were doing something purely for the good of mathematics education in our province. And so now, although my road has had a few twists along the way since I was hired at Bramalea, the one constant has been my professional association with CHAMP and OAME. It has reminded me that to teach is to learn. As this school year begins, I would invite all of our members to consider becoming involved as well. Check the Chapters section of the website and find out who your chapter representative is and reach out to him or her. Find out how you can become involved in your local chapter. OAME exists because of the vitality of its local chapters, and the chapters exist because of the involvement of volunteers. It could be the beginning of a very rewarding professional experience. It will be a busy year for OAME. In addition to the many events organized by the chapters, the Leadership Conference is happening November 6 to 8, 2014 in Toronto. We are looking forward to a great conference with Amy Lin, Dr. Cathy Bruce, Shelley Yearley, and Dr. Jo Boaler. Registration information can be found by visiting http://oame.on.ca/main/files/conference/ L2014.pdf . The provincial conference will take place May 7 to 9, 2015 at Humber College. The keynote speakers: Marian Small, Dan Meyer, and Newcombe will be headlining a great program with other noted mathematics educators. If you would like to submit a proposal, please visit the Session Proposals page at www.oame2015.ca . Another highlight is the provincial OMO playdowns happening June 5 to 6, 2015. OMO will be hosted by COMA and will be taking place in Ottawa. As you can see, this will be a busy year for OAME, and we hope that you can be a part of the many events being hosted by chapters and the organization. In closing, I would like to pass on my thanks to a couple of people. First, a big thank you goes to outgoing president, Sonia Ellison. Sonia is just one of the many educators I have been lucky enough to learn from through my involvement in CHAMP and OAME. OAME has gone through some structural changes in recent years, and it is through the leadership of past presidents like Cathy Hall and Sonia that we have emerged as a healthy and vital organization. I will rely on Sonia for her wise counsel as I navigate my way through this year as president. Secondly, our Editor, Immaculate Namukasa, will be moving on to other professional pursuits this year. Being an editor of any publication is a task that requires a great deal of patience, organization, and knowledge of the subject matter. We were so fortunate to have Immaculate at the helm because she was the perfect blend of each of those traits. We wish her well as she moves on in her professional pursuits. I hope you enjoy this issue of the Gazette and that you look for ways to become professionally involved. If you have any ideas or suggestions as to how OAME can serve its membership, please feel free to send me an email. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @oamecounts . Have a wonderful start to the school year.

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