Welcome to the November/December issue of

BCTF Dispatch. In this issue you will find some

important information on the implementation of the
revised curriculum, some professional development
(PD) opportunities, as well as information on how
to book BC Teachers Federation (BCTF)
workshops in your local.
Ms. Subbie has advice for teachers teaching on call
(TTOCs) struggling to make ends meet, and there
is also some valuable health and safety information
regarding orientation at the worksite.

BCs revised curriculum

Gradual roll out
After the 201516 year of voluntary exploration,
the implementation of the revised K9 curriculum
has begun across the province. This is the first time
in BC history that the entire curriculum has been
revised so extensively. The roll out will be gradual;
teachers are not expected to be fully implementing
the revised curriculum this year. To this end, all
partners involved in the creation of this curriculum
agreed on the following wording in the curriculum
framework documents:

The process should ensure that the focus is strength-based rather than deficit-based, and should allow
for multiple entry points to engage in the dialogue around curriculum. It is therefore critical and
cannot be overemphasized that the implementation of the currricula be viewed as an ongoing, longterm process, rather than an event. With this in mind, we understand it will take time for teachers as
they begin implementing the redesigned K9 curriculum in September 2016. Rather, curriculum
implementation is an ongoing process built around cumulative, reflective practice supported by all
learning partners.
Feedback
While only feedback on the Grades 1012 draft
curriculum is officially requested on the Ministry
of Education website, teachers are still able to
submit feedback on all curriculum by emailing
curriculum@gov.bc.ca. As teachers across the
province are just beginning to implement and

engage with the new curriculum, it is vital they

provide their professional feedback on it.
Curriculum implementation information
There are five regular non-instructional days (NIDs) per school year, and this year the additional sixth
non-instructional day will focus on implementation of the revised curriculum, as will an additional
seventh day. The TTOC Advisory Committee (TTOCAC) recognizes the importance for all teachers to
be involved in the development and feedback of the revised curriculum, and encourage you to use your
local TTOC committees, chairs, and representatives, as well as your motion-writing skills, to find ways
to get involved in planning and utilizing the NIDs. TTOCs and their representatives have managed to
be included in the planning stages for the designated NIDs in some locals. Contact your local to find
out more!
If you are a member in one of the locals where TTOCs have not yet had a paid opportunity to peruse
the revised curriculum, there are a few websites that may interest you:
The BCTF website has a wealth of information under the Issues in Education link on the main page
(available to all). Under it, there are several curriculum subheadings, including a summary of the
BCTFs involvement in the curriculum revision and an explanation on how you can report your
feedback on the Grades 1012 revised curriculum.
Information from the Ministry of Education can be found here. This page includes a section in the
bottom right corner of the page called Fast Links. There are several useful tools here, including
search curriculum, where you can search all of the curriculum documents at once, as well as the
curriculum orientation guide, which helps with the navigation of the curriculum documents. You may
also wish to view the Ministerial Orders chart, which shows exactly what has changed under the
revised curriculum.
As always, the BCTF recommends you check out TeachBC for specific lesson and unit plans under the
revised curriculum, written and posted by real BC teachers.

Professional development events

We hope that many of you had the opportunity to
attend one of the many provincial specialist
association (PSA) conferences that took place
throughout BC on October 21. However, there are
many more opportunities for professional
development, both provincially and regionally, for
new teachers as well as seasoned veterans! Check
out some of the upcoming events below for more
information.
Funds may be available through your local union
to attend. Check with your local union office to
learn how to access this funding.

Challenge and Change 2017 ConferenceBC Alternate Education Conference

February 1617, 2017
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre
2017 Crosscurrents ConferenceTeachers of Inclusive Education of BC
(formerly Special Education Association)
February 2324, 2017
Sheraton Airport Hotel Richmond
Tapestry Conference
Conference for Southern Vancouver Island
February 24, 2017
Location TBA
BCTF New Teachers Conference
February 2425, 2017
Radisson Hotel Richmond
Spring Fling
April 28, 2017 (Registration opens March 28, 2017)
Prince George Secondary School

Ask Ms. Subbie

Dear Subbie,
Theres always too much month left at the end of
the money. My fellow TTOCs seem to be getting
more in their pockets than I, even though we have
the same schooling and qualifications. When and
how do I get a raise? I thought that being in a union
meant fairness and equity. Like a sign for souper
salad, this bothers me! What gives?
Took Quality Schooling
Dear TQS,
Sometimes things need to be adjusted, and it sounds like thats what is going on here. If your
qualifications have changed, submit your new transcript to the Teacher Qualification Service
(TQS). You can also ask them to re-examine your qualifications. The TQS will let you know if there
have been changes in policy and where your salary category lies so you can tell your district. Does your
district have the correct category? Also, dont forget that every 170 days of work as TTOC you go up a
step on the salary grid. Always monitor your accumulated experience. While your district does keep
track of this, mistakes do happen.
Best of luck stepping up to the plate,
Subbie
Yo Subbie,
How long should I continue reporting for EI? Im back working as a TTOC, so do I really need to keep

reporting every two weeks? Will it use up my weeks if I make enough money during that time?
My Understanding Needs Informed Experience
Hey MUNIE,
EI, EI, oh! Unless you are being called in frequently, keep on keeping on with the reporting. When its
slow, you will still receive part of your Employment Insurance (EI) payment. If you do find youre very
busy, the BCTF website states:
You may ask Service Canada, during busy TOC periods, to suspend your EI claim and then re-activate
it for the slow work periods. While your claim is suspended you will be able to work off claim and
not have to report your work and earnings bi-weekly. That will help you lengthen your benefit period
so you can cover the winter break and spring break with the same EI claim.
Every little bit helps! If you ever have a question, ALWAYS talk to a human being at Service Canada,
or email Diane Irvine at the BCTF (dirvine@bctf.ca). For further information, the BCTF seminar on EI
can be found here.
Keep reporting intrepidly,
Subbie

Your health and safety

All workers new to a worksite should receive specific orientation to the site on health and safety
matters. This includes items found in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulations 3.23 (2).
Section 3.23 (Young or new worker orientation and training) of the OHS Regulation (Regulation)
states:
3.23 Young or new worker orientation and training
(1) An employer must ensure that before a young or new worker begins work in a workplace, the young
or new worker is given health and safety orientation and training specific to that young or new
worker's workplace.
This orientation should include information on:
specific hazards in the workplace
risks of violence in the workplace
working alone procedures
location of first aid and facilities and how to summon first aid
emergency procedures
contact information for occupational health and safety committee.
These items are specific to a particular job site, and
should be given prior to starting work. If this is not
provided, direct your inquiry to the principal of
each site.
Each worksite has a Health and Safety Committee
that you can report any unsafe situations, hazards,
or near-misses to. Also report any near-misses or

accidents to your supervisor (principal or viceprincipal) and to the First Aid person. You should
become aware of these people for each school.

BCTF workshops
There are many BCTF workshops available for TTOCs offered free of charge to BCTF members. The
facilitators are practicing teachers who have first-hand knowledge of TTOC issues.
How can you book these workshops?
Bookings are done through the Professional and Social Issues Division (PSID) of the BCTF. We require
at least three weeks advance notice so that we can arrange for a facilitator. The booking should be for
groups of 15 to 30, however, small schools or special circumstances may be considered.
The booking form can be found here. Call or email Ashley Gurat (1-800-663-9163, local 1857 or
agurat@bctf.ca) if you have any questions.
When should these workshops be scheduled?
Your local TTOC committee can request a BCTF workshop on a district-wide PD convention day.
Whether or not attendees would be paid for the day varies by local, so check with your Local President
to find out about TTOC access to PD funds.
A workshop for TTOCs could be one of the four School Union Representative Training (SURT) days
provided by the BCTF. Check with your Local President to see if TTOCs could use one of the locals
four days. Attendance at SURTs is paid for by the BCTF, but the number of people eligible to attend is
limited. Your Local President will know how many attendees your local can invite. You can book a
TTOC workshop to take place after school; this works well for workshops that will interest a large
number of TTOCs, such as the Employment Insurance workshop.
What workshops are applicable to TTOCs?
Any of the Professional and Social Issues (PSI) workshops can be booked for TTOCs, but there are a
few titles that are specifically targeted to TTOCs:
Classroom Management for TTOCs
Contract Awareness for TTOCs
Reality 101: A Day in the Life of a TTOC
Work-life Balance for TTOCs
Employment Insurance: Navigating the EI Claims
Process
(Please note the slides from this workshop are
available on the BCTF web page for Teachers
Teaching on Call. This workshop is updated in
early spring, as EI regulations often change in
January or February. The best time to book this

workshop is in May or June.)