WHEN reflecting on life as a student at a mainstream primary school, some of the biggest concerns were who you would be sitting next to in the classroom, who you would be playing with at recess, and who your teacher would be.
This is not the case for many School of the Air students.
They are living on isolated stations spanning thousands of kilometres, with their classroom most often a room within the homestead, their fellow students are their own siblings, their contact with their teacher is via radio, and their parents fill the role of the home tutor.
While it may not be what is regarded as a traditional way of schooling, it is how hundreds of children living in outback WA have been able to receive a quality education over the years - supported by the five School of the Airs located at Carnarvon, Port Hedland, Meekatharra, Derby and Kalgoorlie.
This month marks the 60th anniversary of the Meekatharra School of the Air (MSOTA) - WA's oldest and longest running such school.
The school, which has the motto 'Wisdom by Wireless', has had a long and eventful past including being run from four different sites, and has extra cause for celebration given the school was at risk of being closed by State government cuts last year.
MSOTA principal Christine Bevans said the anniversary was a very exciting occasion for the school, which worked hard to provide the best quality education for its students.
Ms Bevans has headed up the school for the past eight years, the latest in a range of Department of Education postings she has taken throughout regional WA over her career, including four years at the Carnarvon SOTA.
She said student numbers for the MSOTA had been fairly consistent over the past five years, sitting at 30-35 primary-aged students who were not near enough to a school or bus route to get a school-based education.
It broadcasts about 1000 kilometres to the north, and 900km to the east, with a majority of families living within a radius of 500km of its base at Bluff Point, just north of Geraldton, where it has been since 2011.
The school was originally based in Meekatharra, as its name suggests, having been officially opened on September 14, 1959 and operating for almost 50 years before being burnt down in a fire in 2006.
It was temporarily housed in demountable buildings at Beachlands Primary School in Geraldton before moving a short distance to its now permanent base.
Not surprisingly, ever-changing technology has had a positive impact on students and the way they are able to be taught over the decades, something which the anniversary has allowed Ms Bevans to reflect upon.
Since her first involvement with SOTA she has witnessed a move from radios to using a satellite web to provide the first lessons via computer, to using CENTRA which is a computer and satellite-based delivery of lessons, to now using Webex, which allowed for more interaction via video.
"These developments have allowed for clearer audio for conversations, while introducing videoing has made a huge difference in educating the children," Ms Bevans said.
"For example, if a teacher wants to demonstrate a letter formation, they can actually show the student via video, which gives them that visual connection that children in classrooms receive every day.
"It can also be particularly useful when a teacher is demonstrating a technique in an art lesson."
But Ms Bevans said despite technological advances in the equipment used, at the end of the day it was vitally important that the school had good connections with the students and their family members, particularly their parents who often doubled as their on-site home tutor.
"You have to learn to be quite creative when it comes to a school of the air, because communication is very important, whether it's on-air during air lessons, or over the phone," she said.
"Because you are not dealing with the students and their families face-to-face, building a relationship is very important."
The MSOTA students, which can be aged from kindergarten through to year 6, enjoy learning from a varied teaching program based on the current Department of Education curriculum, including language, health, science, social studies, maths, art, music, sport, computing and LOTE, with students in years 3-6 being taught French from the School of Isolated and Distance Education.
Daily air lessons are complemented by set work, which the student completes under the supervision of the home tutor, and is returned to the school for marking and feedback by the four teachers based there.
Ms Bevans said assemblies, called the Friday Morning Muster, were held weekly and involved the students sharing their work, or celebrating birthdays, or generally discussing the previous week of learning.
"We normally have a big response, with most students logging on to take part," she said.
But it's not all distance education - the students are given numerous opportunities to physically meet their teachers and peers.
The children are invited to visit the MSOTA in Geraldton to meet their teachers, who also reciprocate by conducting home visits.
"Staff go out and visit for two days, spending time with the families and working with the children and their home tutors," Ms Bevans said.
The school also arranges three or four camps throughout the year to get the children together, the latest of which was due to coincide with the MSOTA 60th anniversary.
Ms Bevans said the school provided an invaluable service that she was extremely proud of.
"Students are getting a very good quality education from the school, which is individualised to cater for each student," she said.
"Although they may be isolated, technology has really allowed our staff to be more creative and diversify their education.
"The divide is much less compared with their traditional school counterparts, thanks to the videoing on air, emails and phone calls."
Ms Bevans said up to 200 people were expected to celebrate the school's milestone, which was to be marked with a morning tea and later a barbecue lunch, and speeches from ex-students and home tutors, as well as current parents.
A 'decades tour' had also been compiled to enable people to reflect on the 60 years in which the school had been operated, complete with historical information for each particular decade along with student work samples and school newsletters.
One organisation that has developed a close partnership with MSOTA over the years is the Isolated Children's Parents' Association of WA (ICPA WA).
Its relationship began in 1971 when the first ICPA WA branch was formed, the Meekatharra Air Branch, the establishment of which was driven by Margaret Lacey from Pollelle station, Meekatharra.
According to ICPA WA president Tash Johns, they had formed a very strong and successful association with the MSOTA over the decades through the Meekatharra Air, Mt Magnet, Murchison and Yalgoo ICPA branches, as well as being a central place to hold meetings for the Mid West branch.
Ms Johns said ICPA WA had a long history of supporting families that utilised MSOTA in a variety of ways, including advocating for increases in the Federal Distance Education Allowance; advocating to ensure a continued access to facilities at various camp schools within WA; urging the Department of Education for improved technology in online teaching platforms; and improved internet access for students through the establishment of an Education Port.
Ms Johns said when the State government proposed in December 2017 that the five Schools of the Air would close, ICPA WA campaigned to ensure their continued operation beyond 2018.
"ICPA WA together with the school's P&C Association, parents and community rallied against this announcement, and the MSOTA community was among those who travelled far and wide to attend rallies in Geraldton and Perth, to protest against this decision," Ms Johns said.
"The reversal of this decision was an important win for both the school and to ICPA WA and shows how important this partnership between the two are, for ensuring a continued and appropriate access to education for all students."
Ms Johns said they wished the MSOTA all the very best for the future and looked forward to continuing their successful partnership.
