Close to two hundred teac
hers assembled at the Rodney Rey MacArthur Auditorium at Campus B on Tuesday 26th January 2016 for a general meeting of the Anguilla Teachers’ Union. This meeting was the first of its kind since the new Executive took office on 27th November 2015.
Adopting a strong business tone, President Ms Michelle Queeley, who presided over the proceedings, began by welcoming all and thanked the body for their overwhelming investment of confidence and trust in her team to lead them for the upcoming term. She noted, “We will endeavor to meet your expectations as much as it is humanly possible, and course, this is a partnership. We are an executive in transition. While you have expectations of us, we also have expectations of you: patience, understanding, and cooperation. We wish to make informed decisions, and not be driven to act irrationally or by way of emotion. My vision, as your president, is to strengthen the membership base; to raise the profile of the ATU so that we remain relevant; ultimately, to lead a functional, purposeful and productive Teachers’ Union that caters to the spiritual, social, educational, professional and economic needs of its members.”
The meeting, which was designed to set the tone for the year ahead, sensitized teachers to the work that the Union had undertaken thus far, and to the plans that lie ahead. As such, a stewardship report was given featuring, among other things, the Union’s representation at the Caribbean Union of Teachers’ conference in St. Kitts; a courtesy call on the governor, Her Excellency, Christina Scott; the creation of a Facebook page; Christmas greetings to the general public (all in December 2015); and the President’s New Year’s address to the nation. Special mention was also made of the appointment of Mr. Rodney Rey as advisor to the executive.
A number of plans are well on the way for teachers in the upcoming year. They include: membership cards that would entitle members to discounts on purchases/transactions at a number of businesses. Already some businesses have consented to enter into this partnership with the Union. Teachers have expressed appreciation for such.
Also, high on the agenda are attention to the working arrangements of teachers of early childhood education; professional development and training of teachers in general; a courtesy call on the Permanent Secretary and Minister of Education; and constitutional review.
From all accounts, the meeting was a highly productive and successful one. Teachers were very much engaged and expressed their deep satisfaction with the high level of professionalism with which the meeting was conducted. The executive, along with school reps will embark on a leadership training and retreat exercise on Saturday 31st January 2016.
– Contributed
