TORONTO – Many teachers are paragons of virtue, examples and role models for the children under their care. They “serve” in loco parentis – our surrogates once we drop them off onto the school property. At a bare minimum, from them, we expect that they will impart values reflecting love of  “learning” (critical analysis), a sense of responsibility, respect for the Law (and all that it entails) and commitment to the institutional vision of their employer… us, the parents of their students. 

In Catholic schools, which enjoy a particular, legal obligation to impart values that focus on family, personal dignity, love of neighbour and respect for responsibility, some teachers seem confused by their role.

On February 28, 2023, the president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association allegedly called the police on parents who had made presentations to the York Catholic District School Board in a rather forceful fashion. Nothing came of it except that one of the parents who delegated (a single mother) lost her job shortly afterward.

We called the president, Mike Totten (in the pic above, from Twitter /@adibene1970) to ask him some questions and to ascertain his side of the issues. Such an important person (the Sunshine list says he “earns” more than $130,000 pay and benefits annually) cannot possibly be expected to explain his alleged interference in the way parents raise their children.

The person seems to suffer from some sort of self-importance disorder. The attached post suggests the OECTA membership is either sheeple in his pen or a brow-beaten class of people uninterested in fulfilling their duty in the face of thuggish behaviour by one of their own. 

Aside from his poor grasp of the English language (oh pity his former students!), his imperious pretentions are an invitation to removal …” these posts are in violation of the OCTA handbook and our Executive will be seeking disciplinary measures from OECTA… I will not stand for members attacking our Executive…” (is it a new Credo or Catechism?)

The problem is that there are like-minded blusterers like Totten who are preparing to incite students to make presentations to present against parental [teacher] delegators supportive of the rainbow lobbyist agenda. They are using social media to propagate character assassination and shut down debate with threats of financial penalties.

So much for freedom of speech, much less religion. It may soon be illegal to hold Catholic views or to practice Catholicism. If trustees in Catholic Boards start doing their jobs, they will hold people like Totten to their obligations as employees of a Catholic system.