The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Question: What is the ATA’s role in teachers’ conventions?

Answer: Under the Teaching Profession Act, the ATA is responsible for advancing and promoting the cause of education in Alberta and improving the teaching profession. A primary way in which the Association fulfils this obligation is by organizing annual conventions for teachers.

The ATA has established 10 convention associations in Alberta, which are responsible for authorizing, planning, conducting, evaluating and governing teachers’ conventions. Each convention association is governed by a formal constitution and a board made up of teachers selected by the participating locals. These teachers give freely of their time and energy to plan a program that reflects the needs and ­interests of teachers in their area.

Teachers have a professional and legal obligation to attend the convention organized in their area. Such conventions afford teachers the opportunity to keep up with new approaches and instructional methods, to identify common problems and to exchange ideas with colleagues. Conventions also help instil in teachers a sense of pride in their profession. Discipline charges can be and have been brought against teachers who fail to attend their annual convention.

Although teachers have a professional obligation to attend their convention, they may, in exceptional circumstances, be unable to do so. The ATA’s Provincial Executive Council approved a Protocol for Convention Attendance that outlines in detail the obligations of teachers with respect to convention attendance and explains the processes that they must follow in seeking permission to be absent. For more information, visit the ATA website (www.teachers.ab.ca) and under For Members, click on Professional Development and then on Teachers’ Conventions.