I have recently started work as a teaching assistant, a stop gap until the summer before starting a teaching job in September. There are various pros and cons to the job, obvious cons being the rate of pay (doesn't even come close to being a supply teacher) and the obvious pros being the lack of responsibility - I turn up at 9 and leave at 3.15 guilt free.
I love the work that I am paid for - to support a particular child, he responds well to me and I can see how my supporting him in the classroom is enabling him to participate more fully in classroom life, but as he is currently in a reception class the opportunities for me to work one on one with him are not so easy to come by. Consequently, I probably spend about an hour of the day actually working with my specified child and another 4 hours cutting and backing and trying to find other ways of supporting other children in the class. There are already another 3 adults in the classroom, one of whom being the teacher, and the other 2 support assistants have been working there for a while. As a result I often feel at a bit of a loose end, everyone else seems to know what to do when the children are on the carpet and I seem to faff about trying to look like I know what I am doing when really I don't!! After 2 weeks I have learnt today that there is a list of jobs for us TAs to do when not working with the children, but even that I found hard to decifer! It's all about starting a new job and finding my feet I think!
Despite the enjoyment of not having to worry about planning or assessment or acceptable working hours, I am very much looking forward to having my own class again!
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