With another school year under way, Alberta teachers are facing the same challenges: class sizes are too big, classroom complexity is increasing and resources are dwindling. These issues are front and centre in the latest ad campaign from the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA).
Through billboards, radio and television commercials, teacher testimonials on social media, and postcards and lawn signs, the ATA is sharing messages to increase public awareness about the chronic issues facing public education in the province.
“What we need in Alberta is a government that steps up and recognizes the importance of public education,” said Laura, a high school English teacher featured in one of the teacher testimonial videos. “Without strong, capable, functioning public education, we don’t have strong, capable and functioning adults.”
Other teachers have echoed her message in the campaign, sharing first-hand accounts of how underfunding has strained classrooms and student supports.
On the airwaves, a new ATA radio ad calls out the province for “making excuses” instead of addressing funding shortfalls. On television, an updated commercial from 2023 depicts overcrowded classrooms: students enter a room and hang coats until the rack overflows — they then begin piling the rest of the coats in their teacher’s arms. The coat rack and coats fall by the end, representing what might happen if the public education system continues to be strained.
The campaign also includes a grassroots push. Brightly colored lawn signs with slogans like “Cut the excuses, not education funding” and “Public education: underfunded, undervalued, unacceptable” have appeared in neighbourhoods across Alberta. Thousands of lawn signs have already been distributed across the province. Teachers can request signs through their ATA locals.
Teachers can also participate in the campaign by completing fill-in-the-blank postcards that urge more supports for Alberta’s public education system. Each school was sent a package of postcards for teachers to personalize and send to their MLAs (additional cards can be ordered at https://abteach.cc/MLAPostcards). The black-and-yellow postcards feature attention-grabbing headlines such as “We’re not asking for the moon. We’re asking for smaller classes, more supports and fair pay.” Teachers can add their own thoughts before mailing them off.
The ATA’s campaign will continue into the fall, with the aim to keep education issues visible for both the public and policymakers.
Teacher testimonial videos share the experiences and concerns of Alberta’s teachers.
ATA lawn signs in support of public education can be seen throughout Alberta neighbourhoods.
