About

Our Association’s objectives are:

• To enhance the professional expertise and status of Teacher Assistants, to improve the quality of Education in Western Australia.
• To create a network of those engaged in Teacher Assistants Role, which will foster Education, thought and practice, and set before itself and the community the ethics of professional responsibility and peer support.
• To organise and conduct regular meetings, workshops and a Conference for the advancement of Professional Development for Teacher Assistants.

History:

In June 1993 Edith Cowan University held the very first conference for Teacher Assistants at the Churchlands Campus. Approximately 120 Assistants enjoyed such an inspiring weekend that when asked to form an Association, twenty Teacher Assistants wanted to be on the Steering Committee. This was the beginning of a very hard working group dedicated to forming an Association for the benefit of Teacher Assistants state wide. During 1993/4 the Steering Committee formulated a Constitution and incorporated the Association.

Obviously the new Association met a need in the fields for it has attracted membership across the profession, with Teacher Assistants from Government, Independent and Catholic Education continuing to join the association.

1995 saw the Association form its own Conference Committee to run the conference for the first time, a huge challenge but since then the conference has grown from strength to strength. Conference numbers have now grown to 400.

There have been many Speakers, many workshops and presentations by people with a positive contribution to make to enhance the knowledge and experience of Members. These people have been from a broad spectrum of the field, the Committee has sought then out, both locally and interstate. Friendships are renewed and new ones made each year. Networking during this time has been one of the main focuses. We have welcomed members as far north as Wyndham and Christmas Island.

One of the main goals of the Committee is to take workshops to the country TA’s. As we know it is not easy for people living in the country towns to access Professional Development. This was also a chance for people to get to know the committee and find out more about the Association. The workshops were state wide including Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie. This also helped build the Association to the strength it is today as currently almost half the members are from country schools. Three or four country and two city workshops are held each year.