At its February 28/March 1 meeting, College Council made a number of recommendations to the Minister of Education about the College's governance structure.

Reducing the composition of Council and having an equal number of members from the profession and appointed members are part of the proposed changes and reflect our commitment for effective governance practices and structures.

We intervened to provide perspective on student privacy and what constitutes acceptable professional conduct for teachers.

Last February, a panel of the Ontario Divisional Court unanimously ruled in favor of the College - dismissing a College member's request for a judicial review.

In 2015, the College member was found guilty of professional misconduct by the College for using inappropriate language. A penalty was ordered and noted on the College's public register, per our bylaw. The member wanted this notification removed from the College's web site, but the Court dismissed her request.

The College has new advice for Ontario teachers on how to support students with mental health concerns.

To promote discussion, the College will host panel discussions with local experts in seven Ontario communities.

These will run from 9-11 a.m. in each of the following locations:

• March 19 – Toronto – 101 Bloor Street West
• March 26 – Ottawa – 200 Coventry Road
• March 27 – Kingston – 1550 Princess Street
• April 2 – Hamilton – 1224 Upper James Street
• April 4 – Windsor – 1855 Huron Church Road
• April 11 – Thunder Bay – 550 Harbour Expressway
• April 17 – Sudbury – 1710 The Kingsway

Myth: The College only uses Twitter to communicate with its members and the public via social media.

Fact: You can follow the College on many platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest — to get the latest College news, effective teaching practices and other important information about the profession.

If your membership fee isn't deducted through payroll, please pay the $150 fee to the College directly. You can pay with debit or credit through your bank, using our mobile app, or via your College Member account. The deadline is April 15, 2019.

See how your peers respond to that same question in the June issue of Professionally Speaking.

This poll encourages OCTs to share opinions and effective practices on educational topics.