The Alberta Teachers’ Association

ATA VICE PRESIDENT CANDIDATES
(two to be elected)

GREG CARABINE

It's in my DNA! My aunt Róisín was the president of the Irish National Teachers' Organization and my dad was an ARA delegate. I'm asking for your support in becoming a vice-president of the Alberta Teachers' Association.

I'm the person who points and says “what about that elephant?”

Given the opportunity and responsibility of being your vice-president, I promise to have unrelenting persistence in pursuing the improvement of our professional working conditions. None of us are afraid of the hard work that it takes to do this job well. What we do need is the support from this government, our school boards and society.

I will work toward the day when newspaper reporters and society judge that our professional ability to assess our students is worth more than any high-stakes government exam. That won't happen by itself. Change requires action! It will take all of us, public, Catholic and Francophone working together, to show Albertans that we will continue to be consummate professionals.

I promise to do all this in the most transparent way and to be accessible and accountable to the members of the Alberta Teachers' Association.
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Greg teaches chemistry and physics at Austin O'Brien High School where he also coaches football and badminton. He has been the president of Edmonton Catholic Teachers Local No. 54 for the past five years, chair of the first teacher gay-straight alliance in ATA history, Finance chair and Economic Policy Committee member. Provincially, Greg has served on the Teacher Welfare Services Committee and Professional Practice Appeal Committee. Greg is currently the secretary of the Education Society of Edmonton.

For more information go to gregcarabine.com.            

MYRNA McLEAN

Myrna McLean has been an outspoken advocate for a strong public education system for the past three decades. Stress and mental health issues for students, teachers and administrators are reaching critical levels.

Alberta teachers must engage in their professional organization and demand that their voices be heard throughout the province. Our strength is in the solidarity of 40,000 teachers who have a collective voice. As a proud member of the ATA, Ms. McLean understands this voice and is willing to fight for changes to ensure a more reasonable work-life balance.

Overcrowded classrooms, increased poverty rates, excessive testing, updating technology, supervision times and inclusive education issues are only a few of the classroom concerns for teachers.

“The challenge of being a single parent and employed as a full-time teacher meant a constant struggle for me to maintain a healthy balance.”

As a passionate educator from the front lines, Ms. McLean has the wisdom and experience to join the Provincial Executive Council.

Hard work and dedication are strengths upon which Ms. McLean built her professional career over the past 34 years. As a classroom teacher, she taught all grade levels and served as an administrator for six years. Ms. McLean completed a masters in leadership from the University of Victoria.

“Growing up in Red Deer, both parents were teachers. When my daughter started her teaching career in Alberta, she became a fifth-generation teacher.”

As the president of ATA Local No. 77, Ms. McLean has represented her colleagues for five years. She worked with the North East Teachers' Convention Association for 25 years and was a professional development facilitator.

“As a proud Alberta teacher; I am willing to listen, stand up and advocate for teachers. Meeting future challenges means we must demand and achieve a better work-life balance!”

JENNY REGAL   

The NDP formed a new government in 2015. Since then, we have seen changes in our lives as teachers. The government restored funding for growth in Alberta schools and provided additional support for English-language learners and indigenous students. New schools promised by the previous government finally opened across the province. Bill 8 changed the face of bargaining as we knew it. The minister announced a new resource to assist school boards in supporting welcoming, caring, safe and respectful schools. Alberta Education committed to a joint commission to action that supports teacher professional development related to First Nations, Métis and Inuit history and culture. New curricula are being developed in six subject areas over a six-year period.

Meanwhile, some of our issues are on the back burner: concerns about the Student Learning Assessment program, lack of progress on a new assessment program as it relates to new curricula, expansion of international benchmarking activities, and continuing an outdated provincial achievement testing model, among others.

Your new Provincial Executive Council must walk a fine line between working with and supporting current government initiatives that are in public education’s best interests and being a strong voice of caution when those best interests will not be served. Strong leadership at the PEC table can ensure accountability and progress. I commit to be your strong voice in the ongoing struggle to achieve teaching and learning conditions that meet the needs of students and teachers across Alberta.

I teach Grade 5 at Captain Nichola Goddard School. I have served both Calgary locals as district representative for three years. I have actively participated in Local 38 business for more than two decades, and served on its executive committee for over 17 years, as Economic Policy Committee chair, vice-president, president and past president. Contact me at jennyregal98@gmail.com if you have any questions.

JASON SCHILLING

I believe in advocating for the teaching profession and our students. As much as others try to segregate the two, they are intertwined. Being a teacher is not just my job. Like you, being a teacher encompasses all aspects of my life. Advocating for education has always been a central part of my professional career.

I have been district representative for the South West for the last eight years, and representing the professional development needs, workload concerns, accountability issues and classroom conditions of my colleagues has been paramount to the work that I do. Advocacy is vitally important as teachers continue to face increasing demands in their complex classrooms. I find advocacy work fulfilling, and I have learned that leaders must be courageous when they advocate for those who have no voice.

Throughout my career, I have come to value the ATA and the work it does daily to enhance our profession. When we use our voice, we create hope and as Margaret Wheatley stated, “hope … is the essence of being human;” by working together, we strengthen our resolve for what we believe in — our students and public education. It would be my desire as vice-president of the ATA to help enhance every teacher’s voice. I want to continually improve on building capacity within the ATA as it becomes a resilient and agile organization that is valued by all members.

Currently living in Lethbridge, I can frequently be found contemplating life or marking English assignments in a variety of coffee shops around the city or in Edmonton. I teach high school English and drama at Kate Andrews High School in Coaldale, where I have worked for the last 14 years. The connections with students, colleagues and the community feed the happiness that only teaching can bring.

DIANE SELLARS-MYSHCHYSHYN

As district representative for Calgary since 2010, I have grown the experience, knowledge and connections required of a vice-president and a deep understanding of what needs to be done to advance the profession. Members want improved working conditions, fair compensation and professional autonomy. I will be forceful, principled and strategic in promoting these issues. I will hold the government responsible for funding a public education system that supports all students and teachers while advancing the values of a diverse and progressive society. I will insist that members have a valued and respected voice in decision-making and professional learning, and the authority to carry out their role as identified in the School Act.

Members must see the value of membership and, accordingly, I will promote solutions that engage members in the ATA’s work, democracy and mission. I will help build a strong and cohesive Provincial Executive Council that works to promote the issues debated and approved by the Annual Representative Assembly. I will bring a focus on equity as a means to ensure income growth and stability, pension security and the attraction, retention and advancement of teachers. The voice of teachers must be heard, and I am prepared to do this work for you. It would be an honour to serve you as vice-president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

I am a learning support teacher at École Manachaban Middle School and have worked with Rocky View Schools for 25 years. As district representative, I have served on various committees, including Resolutions, Finance, Strategic Planning, and Chair of Diversity, Equity and Human Rights. I am also a member of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation Advisory Committee on the Status of Women. I have proudly served Rocky View teachers in various capacities including as vice-president and president. For more information, visit www.dianesellars.ca.