Seriously 2020? What else?

I'm not at all confident that in some way, shape, or form, I may get some backlash for this post. While it is rare that I actively seek to "land in hot water", I feel this occasion is warranted since it caused me quite the emotional reaction.

I recently received the quarterly College of Teachers magazine, Professionally Speaking, and viewing the front cover, the image of an adult male hand around the neck of an adolescent girl under the title of "Professional Boundaries" immediately created a queazy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why would they choose this to be the first-impression image? What was the intention?

Once I recovered from the fleeting sense of nausea, I felt an all overwhelming sense of indignation ignite in that same place as I struggled to come to grips with the thought processes of a media team that thought it an appropriate image to adorn the cover of a professional magazine. Admittedly, I am not so naive as to disavow the presence of predators in education, nor to espouse keeping the issue in the shadows, but considering the mandate of the College of Teachers, to have an image of questionable taste sit atop the dinner, coffee, and kitchen tables ... and now this Blog ... of each Ontario educational household crosses a line IMHO. The issue deserves to be acknowledged, addressed, discussed, and proactively dealt with, but the perpetuation of a stereotype that this is (a) prevalent and (b) a male phenomenon is both perplexing and concerning as the cover image of professional college's communique.

I will be the first to admit that I am not in favour of the College's existence, its mandate, or its role in my educational life, and I annually begrudge the mandatory membership fee of $170 for a group that I see has little or no value to me. I am told that to teach in any form ... full contract, LTO, or occasional ... I must "be a member in good standing" with the College which translates solely as "I've paid them their money." I faithfully read the magazine every time it arrives hoping to find some nugget of information, some recommendation, some morsel of guidance that will justify my forced membership, but I have never come away with a feeling of satisfaction. 

Perhaps some of my colleagues have, but I have not. 100%.

One of the more contentious portions of the publication are the "blue" pages. For those not familiar with the publication, this is the portion that lists all of the people in Ontario's educational profession who have been discovered to have stepped across the line of decorum, in one shape or another. If warranted following an investigation, each subsection lists a name, a brief synopsis of the transgression, and the formal ruling, be it reprimand, suspension, or revocation. I have always felt very uncomfortable with this section of the magazine, acknowledging the severity of each situation and the appropriateness of the ruling, since it lists full names and consequences. I fully support formal proceedings that dole out consequences for the extremely poor choices listed in those pages, and I am glad that the "bad apples" are removed, but the magazine goes out to all members, all across the province, in almost 120, 000 homes, where it can be viewed by both immature and impressionable eyes. If it was important enough for me to know about these situations, I would actively seek out the knowledge, and would be much happier it it was in a password protected section of the College's membership site.

You might ask, "If you don't like it, why not just tell the College not to send it to you?"

A supplemental issue I have surrounding this magazine is the fact that I cannot "unsubscribe" to its delivery since the only options available are to receive it in its very expensive full colour, glossy absurdity or to receive it via email as a PDF. There is no choice to not receive it, and even though I take care to recycle it each time, I would wager that the amount of money its production must demand is significant. In this day and age, would not the prudent choice be to relegate the distribution to ONLY the e-form? Perhaps removing its printing costs would have a desirable effect on my membership fees? 

I am not alone in this fight. I have become aware of a number of actively teaching and occasional teacher friends that were also quite put off when the magazine arrived in their mailbox, and are equally frustrated with the decisions that the College is making, supposedly on our behalf. Some are taking the next step and mailing the offensive front cover back to the College in a show of displeasure and protest. I will combine that act with a print out of this post, clearly outlining my objection.

Seriously, what else can 2020 bring to my doorstep?