ETFO’s experience in advising and assisting members over the years has caused us to realize that almost any member can fall victim to a lack of understanding of professional boundaries. This can translate into the member making serious mistakes – career-threatening ones – in the management of school relationships.
Any act of professional misconduct can lead to disciplinary measures being taken by the Ontario College of Teachers. Even an unfounded allegation of professional misconduct could be permanently damaging to a member, their family, and to the profession.
In general, activities that take an educator beyond the expectations of the employer could easily qualify as boundary violations. The best way for members to protect themselves is to follow that old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Educators must be ever vigilant of situations that place them in vulnerable positions.
Remember…a a caring professional relationship always helps a student to learn. But this relationship has boundaries of time, place, purpose, and activity.
PRESENTER: Lorna Larmour, Executive Assistant, PRS, ETFO Provincial
DATE: Wednesday, December 11, 2019
TIME: 4:30 – 6:30 pm with refreshments from 4:00 pm
LOCATION: Meeting Room of the Durham Occasional Teachers’ Local
PARTICIPATION: Limited to 30 members
COSTS: Paid by your Local