The Classroom Assistant: An Integral Gift to Teachers

-

Have you ever heard that saying, "You can trust the nurse more than the doctor?" 

When I started my tenure as a teacher, it started as a campus monitor at an elementary school. Fixing cafeteria food, handing out trays, picking up oranges off of the floor. I spent half of my day teaching phonics and math to little ones in makeshift learning areas (try the old music room, the performance stage, even the outdoor benches in the sunshine) because our schools were getting overcrowded and we didn't have space for resource teaching. I'd arrange books in the library, assist children with behaviors, or help with any task. In the K-12 teaching world, nothing sounds too crazy...

During instructional time, aids and assistants are usually inside the classroom helping with instruction and one-on-one tutoring. Other times, they are heading small resource groups since the academic gaps have widened in the last couple of decades. During the lunch and recess hours, support staff are the ones taking care of business on the playground, where behaviors get wild and extra support is often needed. 

Cutting lamination. Making copies. Printing out pages. Sending projects to publications. Reading to students when the teacher needs to take care of timely matters. These are all little but extremely helpful things that support staff do every day for instructors. 

When I am substitute teaching, the best thing I can get is the benefit of having a instructional aid assigned to that particular classroom. They know everyone, everything, and every bit about the schedule and school that I would love to know upon my landing there. Usually, the aides know everything from curriculum, to lesson plan execution, daily schedule, and of course IEP schedules due to the fact that they are just as well in the same position as their primary instructor. I often hear too many times of substitutes coming in, not acknowledging the very people that are in the setting on a daily basis- with students and teachers alike. 

Upon recollection of the recent budget cuts- with large portions of support staff positions seeing layoffs- I can only help but wonder if we will have the support we need in public schools. Every position is a part of a larger picture which makes the wheel of academia spin. In a time of budget cuts and uncertainty- there is no substitute for support. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Shortages - The “B” Word and Low Salaries

-
Image
A survey conducted by the nonprofit research organization NORC at the University of Chicago , found that fewer than 1 in 5 Americans would encourage a young person to become a K-12 teacher. “B” is for Burnout. If you say this as a teacher, it’s almost as bad as saying the “D” word during a marriage… almost taboo to say, not to mention putting a negative outlook on the job one is trying to do as an educator. Unfortunately, I have said it myself, and it is a word being turned into a reason why many don’t want to return to the classroom.  Have you ever taught a post-pandemic classroom of unhinged five-year-olds that have had no social experience because preschools were closed during their toddlerhood? Elementary teachers are stressed to the brim, running around like mad chickens due to a lack of support staff and aides. The education sector has been unsteady the past few years, with principals scrambling to assign emergency licenses to educators outside of their subject area, or to th...
Read more

Difficulties in Asynchronous and Online Learning for Young Minds

-
Image
According to a recent article from CeoWorld, there are a few factors contributing to the demise of the education sector currently.  Remote learning and digital classes have come into play quickly, and many teachers and students do not possess the skills necessary to navigate this platform.  The stress and change has caused many teachers to quit, and students are dropping out of public school, turning to homeschool or online learning academies.  A good chunk of our public students have already "dropped out" of school.  I know parents that have relished in the fact that they get to homeschool their girls. They get to travel all over the country while successfully checking in for classes online. Everybody is happy, they get to enjoy family time, and the kids get to experience the real-world. It's like field trips, but all of the time. "Not all classrooms have four walls." Remote learning and digital classes, while convenient for adults, are not so convenient for ch...
Read more

Zombie Scrolling or Doomscrolling: Who Will You Be 30,000 Hours From Today?

-
Image
"The same person who could be building an empire is losing to a 6.3 inch screen." "Zombie scrolling" is being on the internet with no specific intent. Simply stated, this is to insinuate the relative impact of "wasting time" perusing the internet. While one person is busy building their wealth, business, knowledge, or "empire," another could easily be watching Mukbang or ASMR videos all day on TikTok. Not to say that it is highly entertaining to watch a petite lady eat entire gallons of ramen, or to watch a pretty pair of 3-inch glittery pink acrylic nails squish colorful slime all day. Competitive eating has been around for decades, and I myself love listening to nails tapping on a keyboard.  But, what exactly are we spending our precious time on? Is there a limit to how much we should let our children scroll? These are not new questions. Parents and educators have been on this topic since television screens became available to the public nearly...
Read more