President's Message - June 2006

Welcome !

I am truly honoured and humbled at the pleasure to great you as President of OAME. In trying to prepare this article I thought I'd look at previous June Gazette issues (I have most going back to Sept 1993) to see what other incoming presidents had to say in the June edition. Going through these I was in awe of names that have served as OAME presidents and OAME board/executive members and by those that have contributed articles to the Gazette. I began to reflect on how I ever got involved in OAME and the influence that involvement, and people I have met, have had on my teaching and on my personal and professional growth. I've decided to share that with you as my incoming message so that you may also decide to get more involved with OAME and your local chapter.

I graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1986 with a Bachelor of Mathematics/Teaching Option. So before venturing out into teaching I had already been influenced by the likes of Ron Scoins, Ed Anderson and Ron Dunkley. In May 1988, I attended my first OAME conference in Niagara Falls and the one workshop I remember to this day, was presented by Todd Romiens, the 2006 OAME Lifetime Achievement award winner. In 1989, I moved back to my hometown of Sudbury. In the early 90's I was lured by two OAME members, Jerry Malone and Ron Lewis, to the Northern Ontario Mathematics Association. I first attended workshops and then later helped organize local NOMA math workshops and annual conferences. I'll get back to local chapter influence later.

In the fall of 94, I became a member of the OAME Council as the NOMA Chapter Representative. I have been a member of the Council (now called the Board of Directors) since then as either a Chapter Rep, elected member or executive member. I have been fortunate to work with and to learn from many influential math visionaries who have served OAME as president. The list, since 1993, includes Ron Lancaster, Todd Romiens, Susan Stuart, Barry Onslow, Judy Crompton, Ralph Connelly, Peter Saarimaki, Mary Howe, Shirley Dalrymple, Marg Warren, Stewart Craven, Gord Cooke and Kathy Kubota-Zarivnij. They have spearheaded change in mathematics in this province, created an OAME vision for learning mathematics and were involved in many OAME publications, that include several OAME "Linking Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics" documents, and OAME projects, the most recent being "Growing Up Mathematically". I have been mentored by a diverse and talented group of Ontario educators who have served on the OAME Executive with me. I wish to thank them on behalf of ALL the teachers, administrators and students who have benefited from their involvement in mathematics education and who have participated in the workshops they have presented. Their passion for improving mathematics teaching and learning is an inspiration to all of us.

I recently attended the 2006 Leadership Conference on "Learning Systems: The Case of Mathematics-for-Teaching" and, as I write this, look forward to attending the 33rd OAME conference "Every 1 Counts" in London. It is fitting that these are the themes as I take on the role of OAME president. I am a novice at understanding principles of complexity theory and how their intertwining aspects can be applied to student learning and to in-service experiences for teachers. Attending the leadership conference gave me better insight about how complexity learning systems enable the emergence of new collective possibilities. I have discovered a great deal about teaching, learning and students from other educators through OAME, NOMA and my own school. I am a classroom teacher, like many of you, who has to grapple with the new revised curriculum, implement new board policies and initiatives, prepare students for EQAO, complete midterm report cards and try to connect with the students in my Grade 10 Applied math class. I've got our NOMA Ontario Mathematics Olympics this weekend and I need to prep some lessons for when I'm at the OAME conference in London. There is much more for me to discover about teaching and about student learning of mathematics. I want to become a better teacher and person so that my colleagues and students know that each and "Every 1 Counts".

Over the past 15 years, I can't believe all the time and effort so many colleagues have contributed to mathematics education in Ontario and to keeping the NOMA and OAME alive and vibrant. I wish to thank them all for their contributions and support. A big thanks to those of you who I haven't met but who contribute to local OAME chapters by providing teacher math in-service through local and provincial math workshops and conferences. To all of you who are in the trenches, I want to thank you for doing what you do and for being an OAME member. Remember that "Every 1 Counts".

We have about 1700 members in OAME. I hope that YOU will become more involved in the association by first becoming an OAME member, if you aren't already, and then by joining your local chapter executive (see the OAME website), attending local chapter and provincial OAME conferences, getting your Grade 7 and 8 students involved in the OAME local and provincial Mathematics Olympic, presenting a math workshop for local teachers or by simply dialoguing with fellow teachers about math. I encourage and challenge you to get one another teacher/co-worker/friendto become an OAME member and to bring that person with you to your next chapter meeting or local conference. I was fortunate that someone invited me to get involved.

I am truly honoured and humbled to serve you as President of OAME.

Dan Charbonneau

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