Do we need teaching assistants?

Question

I am a teaching assistant for special needs kids and i absolutely love it. It is hard work but so rewarding. I can't believe it when i hear people say that it's a job wasted

in reply to wayne I am fully trained and i have and still attend courses (in my own time i hasten to add).

Answer 1

as the mother of an autistic child i know how invaluable teaching assistants are. those people who say it's a job wasted are ignorant. you do a fantastic job and i understand what you have to face when a child is having a bad day and can't communicate what he or she is feeling but you help them no matter what. without people like you there would be no special needs schools and the children would end up in an institution . without people like you my child wouldn't be able to learn and he wouldn't be able to thrive ! let those who call it see a child's face who achieves something for the first time and then let them say it is a waste of time. i think then they would change their minds don't you ? i give you a big round of applause for what you do for children like my son and others. it is a shame that all staff in special needs schools are not appreciated like they should be. keep up the good work !

Answer 2

Of course we need teaching assistants, it most certainly is not a wasted job. My son has speech and learning difficulties and has just started primary one after a deferred nursery year. Without people like yourself my son would not have had the chance to go to mainstream primary.
I think with the larger class sizes some children my not have the same time with the teacher as other children in the class, meaning those who don't understand something will not have the chance to go over things properly.
There are many people in Britain who can not read or write very well because up until a few years ago lots of children were branded trouble makers because they were not given the chance to learn at their own pace.
EVERYBODY is different and some need more time than others to grasp some subjects. I am glad that more is being done to help the younger generation to become the best student they can be. Learning should be fun not a chore so lets bring the fun back into learning!!

Answer 3

I also love the work I do in special ed - in our district aides are called para-educators or para-professionals. Many of us are certified teachers working in the only jobs that were open in education here. I am not certified as a teacher but do have a Masters Degree and have be a teaching assistant since high school. How did teachers ever survive with classes of 30 kids and no aides when I was in elementary school!!

Answer 4

Yes very much so its like a lot of ... assistant jobs, you take your lead from the manager who is meant to know what to do, but unfortunately, half the time doesnt understand.

As for the trade union person comments, I totally agree with you.

I too have worked as a LSA and a Physio Assist and can honestly say that if I had not done it, it would not have been done and half of those things were outside my remit.

But it is the society we live, so much importance is put on having a degree etc, that they forget about the people behind the scenes making it happen!!

Oh it makes me so angry - but that is this country and its innate snobbery.

L

Answer 5

YES! My assistant has been with me 7 years and I would be lost w/o her. There are so many interruptions as a case manager and resource teacher and I always am "putting out fires" so she keeps the ball rolling. Plus she doesn't have to do any of the IEPs or other paper work-just having fun tutoring the kids, math ,reading and language same time!

Answer 6

I value Teaching Assistants very highly!!

If I didnt have a teaching assistant in some of my lessons, the student they are attached to would have to share my limited time with 30 other kids and therefore never be able to reach their potential.

Poeple slate teacher all the time as well! Just ignore it if you can!!

Answer 7

I think teaching assistants work harder than the teacher!
Its a hard job in class at the best of times. Keep up the good work. Bless you for it.

Answer 8

Teaching Assistants, Nursing Auilliaries, Care Assistants, Social Work Assistants, without these people nothing would ever get done. No child, patient or client would ever actually recieve the service they are supposed to...and without them our education, health and local government services would be nothing but ONE BIG FAT LIE!

I am Trade Union Officer and if I have learnt one thing, it is that this country has a debt it cannot possibly pay to the people who do this work. They are nearly all women, they are poorly paid, and they are shamefully manipulated by their employers and the government.

Answer 9

I'm a special needs assistant and know that if all the teaching assistants were taken out of the school environment, it would just crumble!

Answer 10

We need untrained TAs like a condemned man needs and audience.

Only properly and fully trained TAs please. Helpers in class - jollying on those who can't access the curriculum - giving them the "Gist" of the subject are not wanted on-board.

My kid is now out of mainstream 30 noisy dissruptive kids per busy classroom loaded with pi55 poor practices and 1 TA for the 'retards' in the corner. She is now in a school with class sizes of 8- 12 peers. No need for bumbling TAs trying to get over what the teacher can't to the excluded group. Her teachers actually teach her.