Teaching Assistant?

Question

Are TAs a help or not? When i was doing my work experience in a school the TA just stood about making as much noise as possible when it was story reading etc time and i was just wondering how teachers felt about them? are they essential to a classroom?

(i also know that not al TA's will be like that and she was just ignorant but as a whole i was just wondering)

Answer 1

Hi im student training to be a teacher, i have carried out three placements now wher i have been the class teacher, TAs are so valuable if they are used in the correct way.

OFSTED don't like to see the TA doing nothing during the time teachers are having discussions or reading with the whole class, although at the same time getting TAs to do worthless jobs like checking there is glue in the gluesticks every 5 mins just de-motivates the TAs!

I know that if it wasnt for the TAs I have worked with i would not be at the stage i am at now in just 17 months time i could have my own class and hopefully will have a TA in my class they are worth 10 million times the money they earn and they sometimes get treated worse than smething nasty u may tread in!

Answer 2

I used to be a TA and I think I was helpful. I had assigned jobs that I completed for certain teachers. I think that some people take on a TA job thinking that it is an easy way to make money, but if you're not a motivated worker then you're kind of a waste. Teachers have a tough enough job keeping track of the students and the things they need to teach, they shouldn't have to keep track of an adult who is supposed to be helping.

Answer 3

TA's are suppose to help the teacher with the classroom work for the children. also, in lower grades, the TA helps any child that doesn't catch on to the classroom work.
They are also responsible for watching the class when the kids are outdoors. and many other little things.

Answer 4

I've had great TA's and I've had horrible TA's.

The great ones can help grade papers, make copies, input grades, take roll, and help keep me organized. They can put together amazing bulletin boards and run errands that I can't.

The bad ones can disrupt class, meander the hallways, surf the internet to inappropriate content, and mess up simple tasks that I've given them to do.

Unfortunately, once a TA is assigned, in my school at least, it's very difficult to get rid of them, and as I also speak Spanish, the counselors think that any student who doesn't speak English and needs an extra class can be my TA.

I've also had very good students turn out to be very bad TA's.

I think most of it is just luck.