Why Parents Should Give Credit to the Teacher’s Assistants?
Many parents fail to realize how much of a necessity teachers aids are. They assist the teacher in everything that they do, and help to make sure that your child learns. They are especially important when it comes to educating very young children. In most kindergarten and first grade classes, children are divided up into groups in order to work on various assignments. It is then the responsibility of the teacher and the teacher’s aid to make sure that each group is working on their projects effectively. This also allows for the class to stay occupied while the teacher evaluates children on an individual basis.
Teaching assistants are unfortunately often over looked by many parents. Not that they do this on purpose but they are usually not the focus of the parents attention. But did you know that in some cases the teacher’s assistant knows more about your child than the teacher actually does? This is usually because the classes are so large that they do not get to spend a lot of time on an individual basis. The teacher’s assistant has more time to really get to know the children. This is especially true when you are teaching a class lesson. As everyone knows many children tend to work as different paces. Some are quick learners and others need a little more help. That is where these teaching assistants do the most work. They make sure that no one falls behind in any assignment. If you are teaching lessons and they notice that one child is having a difficult time following along then they can take the time to sit with them and help them figure it out.
They also assist the teacher in other ways that you may not have thought about. For example when the teacher is absent from school, there is usually a substitute teacher that is bought in to teach the children. As many parents know change is very difficult for young children to deal with. This is especially true for children in kindergarten. They tend to form an attachment to their teachers and when one is not there they sometimes can feel lost. The substitute teacher is seen as a stranger to them and they may withdraw from classroom activities that day. But if the teacher’s assistant is there they will still follow their normal routine without problems. Why? Because this is someone that they are used to and comfortable with. So the next to you go to a back to school night or have a parent teacher conference, you really should take the time to speak with the teachers assistant in addition to the teacher. This way you will have two points of views on your child’s progress.
