The Alberta Teachers’ Association

They are the faces of education and we believe in them.

That’s the message behind “The Face of Education,” a new three-year public relations campaign created by the Alberta Teachers’ Association. The campaign’s goal is to advocate for public education and highlight the shared needs of teachers and students.

The ads, which began running in September, will be featured on grocery store ad bars, radio and television as well as in movie theatres, newspapers and magazines. They will also appear online.

The ads feature children of all ages and ethnicities. In the video and radio ads, the

children speak of teachers who have had an impact on their lives. The children also mention some of the challenges teachers are facing, such as class sizes and cyberbullying.

In one of the ads, an 11-year-old boy speaks about his favourite teacher, Madame Martine.

“She’s really good at explaining things and getting stuff done,” he says. “If we don’t have enough tablets for all of us, she says, ‘Jackson, don’t worry; I’ll see if we can get some from the other grades.’ She always figures it out.”

ATA president Greg Jeffery pointed out that while students’ learning conditions are teachers’ working conditions, the point of the campaign is to illustrate the importance of remaining focused on students.

“Teaching is our job, but we recognize that public education exists to serve our children,” he said.

The Association’s last campaign — “Learn from the past. Inspire the future.” — recognized the ATA’s 100th anniversary and featured glimpses of public education throughout the last century. ❚