Education Assistants, otherwise known as Student and School Support Assistants (SSA) at the Vancouver School Board do such great work with our students, and Sandy Tse, Education Assistant at Charles Dickens Elementary School is among one of them. Tse started at the Vancouver School Board in September – fresh out of the SSA program.

Tse worked in the health care field for over 18 years but thought it was time for a career change. She wanted to give back to her community and pursed becoming a SSA.

Tse has always loved working with children. Her son started kindergarten this year at Lord Selkirk Annex – the same school that she attended when she was his age. "As a parent and seeing him go through this stage in his life really sparked my interest to work with kids," said Tse.

Working as an SSA, your day starts out with going into the school, checking your assignment for the day, meeting with your team and then going from there – your day is never the same.

"You definitely have to be on your toes with whatever comes your way and learn adapt to whatever your assignment is that day. Today I was assigned to a different student just because of the needs of the school." Tse adds.

No two days are the same as an SSA and that keeps it interesting for Tse.

SSAs work collaboratively with teachers and other professionals to support students with exceptional learning needs. They are part of an educational team who are committed to creating inclusive learning experiences. Learn more about becoming an SSA, and how the Vancouver School District's Education Assistant diploma can help you get there.