DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATES

(one to be elected)

DON BROOKWELL

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 I have had the privilege to work for the teachers of Central South as your district representative since 2017. I am excited for the opportunity to continue to be your voice on Provincial Executive Council as I run for re-election in the 2021 PEC elections.

I am proud of my 30-year teaching career, 20 years of it with Red Deer Public and all of it teaching students with unique social, emotional and learning exceptionalities. Every day has been a joy and a challenge, and I continue to love teaching and my work with the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Colleagues, we need to continue to improve and defend our education system as one of the best in the world. We will be facing political and financial challenges and threats to our profession, but we will continue to fight together for Alberta teachers, students and families.

I believe the strength of our Association is not in Provincial Executive Council. The real power of the Association to defend education is in the strength of 36,000 teachers. My guiding philosophy and my campaign platform is communication, advocacy, experience and leadership.

Communication is a passion of mine, and if I am re-elected district representative, I will continue to connect with teachers, individually and in numerous local committees; listen and share ideas and information; and bring their voices to Provincial Executive Council. Over the past four years, I have been proud to represent teachers at rallies, at the Canadian Teachers’ Federation and on provincial committees: Resolution, Well-being of Children and Youth, Political Engagement, DEHR, Inclusive Education and Council of School Counselors. I am currently the chair of the Communication, Advocacy and Political Engagement Committee.

I encourage teachers to vote in this year’s PEC elections and to follow me on Twitter @brookwell_don and at www.linkedin.com/in/donbrookwell.

JAMES GASCOYNE

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I have been highly involved in our Association for over 25 years and look forward to the challenge of serving teachers in the role of district representative (DR) for Central South. As DR, I will be committed to serving your local association and being your voice at Provincial Executive Council (PEC).

I believe in public education. Public education is the foundation of our amazing country. It is essential to representing the diversity of our society and expanding opportunities for all students. As stated by Nelson Mandela, “An educated, enlightened and informed population is one of the surest ways of promoting the health of a democracy.”

I believe teachers are the experts. Teachers are professionals and they are in the best position to determine how to use their time, energy and attention to meet the needs of students. As well, teachers know what is required for their professional growth and they understand the commitment it takes to engage students and make a difference. Give teachers the resources they need and get out of the way.

I believe in our Association. Our professional association works tirelessly for teachers within a model of democratic and transparent governance. We are the ATA and it is our responsibility to stay informed and ensure our voices are heard. Democracies can get messy sometimes, but our teachers are the best in the world and they always get it right.

The effectiveness of our association depends on strong relationships and clear communication, and I am committed to working towards empowering our teachers within a culture of trust, ethical practices and high expectations.

Please visit my website to learn about my election campaign at https://jamesgascoyne.wordpress.com/.