President's Message

CEATCA President Message – Jim Allan

This will be the last CEATCA’s president’s message. It has taken time and effort to achieve an amalgamation to form a new convention association but the move was necessary for many reasons not the least of which is financial. We have worked on a minimal budget for several years and only the careful work of all board members and the watchful eye of our treasurer have kept us able to provide a meaningful convention each year.

It would be easy to go on about the changes which have occurred in my 42 year involvement with teachers and the ATA, the 20 year membership on the board of CEATCA and the tremendous experiences-good and bad-which have taken place in my teaching career. Reality tells me you have many of your own memories to share with others. However if you have time some day…

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the CEATCA board members –present and past-who give so much to make the two days of convention each year worthwhile to its delegates, to our outgoing DR who has shown her professionalism in so many ways, to all of you who hold positions of any sort with your professional organization, to central office personnel who support professional development and teachers in their jurisdictions, but mostly to the teachers who have such a critical role in the welfare of students in their care.

I believe that when we ask ourselves what we can do FOR our students rather than what we can do to them we become better educators and better people. Please give them the best six and a half hours you can every day, It might be the best many of them get. 

And lastly-thank you to all of my professional colleagues, past and present, who continue to strive to help our youth become all that they can be.