How to Be a Good Teaching Assistant
Listen to the teacher’s needs., Familiarize yourself with the curriculum., Offer to check for homework and grade papers., Ask if you can help communicate with parents., Offer to run errands for the teacher., Ask to help with the schedule/calendar...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Listen to the teacher’s needs.
Your number one job for this position is to assist the teacher.
Chances are, your job exists because the teacher already has an idea of what she wants or needs out of an assistant.
Before starting the position, or during your first few days, take notes on what is expected from you.
Determine early on what your primary responsibilities will be for the position.
Will you mainly be helping a few students who need special support? Will you be working behind the scenes, making photocopies and grading papers? Or will you be taking over entire classes for the teacher? If you have questions about anything the teacher describes, ask earlier rather than later. -
Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the curriculum.
You’ll be able to best assist the students if you know what they are learning as well as when and how they are learning it.
Just because you have already taken the class that you’ll be assisting with, doesn’t mean you automatically know all about it from a teacher’s perspective.
Read the teacher’s lesson plans, curriculum books, syllabus, etc., Part of the responsibilities of a teacher are the day-to-day monitoring of student progress.
You can be a huge help to the teacher by sharing in these responsibilities.
Make a tracking sheet with each students’ name with columns of boxes so you can check off who brings their homework on time.
After grading papers, offer to enter the grades into the computer grading system for the teacher.
Or, keep a paper record of the grades on paper to give to them to enter., Some public districts may have rules about who can communicate with parents, but if you are authorized to make parent phone calls, it can be a huge help to the teacher.
Be sure to keep calls professional.
If you are dealing with behavior problems from the student, be sure to include highlights of things the child does well along with your reports of the problem behavior.
No parent wants to hear only negative things about their child; giving only negative reports will decrease the amount of support and cooperation you get from the parent., Something that can be very helpful for a teacher is to run to the copy machine or to the office during class.
An adult needs to remain with the students at all times, so if the teacher realizes she didn’t make enough copies for that day’s lesson, after class has already started, it can be quite stressful.
You can help in this situation by going out and making the needed amount of copies for her., Teachers often have a calendar posted in the classroom that outlines important student dates and events for that month.
You can assist in the sometimes monotonous task of filling in that calendar by offering to complete it for her.
You’ll need to have a grasp on school events and regular classroom procedures before being able to do this., Bathroom emergencies and last minute meetings can happen for teachers.
The school district where you work may have rules about who may stay with students for an extended period of time, but most will allow for a teaching assistant to stay with students for 10 minutes or less.
Make the teacher aware that you are available as needed for this responsibility., Sometimes students may have a particular issue going on that requires them to spend extra time out of class or in the office.
Some students may not be allowed to walk the halls during class without adult supervision.
Other times, a student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) requires that they have occasional breaks from the room.
Ask the teacher if you can be of assistance by remaining with these students and walking with them where they need to go while she is teaching. -
Step 3: Offer to check for homework and grade papers.
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Step 4: Ask if you can help communicate with parents.
-
Step 5: Offer to run errands for the teacher.
-
Step 6: Ask to help with the schedule/calendar.
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Step 7: Offer to watch students while the teacher steps out.
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Step 8: Ask if you can help with special discipline cases.
Detailed Guide
Your number one job for this position is to assist the teacher.
Chances are, your job exists because the teacher already has an idea of what she wants or needs out of an assistant.
Before starting the position, or during your first few days, take notes on what is expected from you.
Determine early on what your primary responsibilities will be for the position.
Will you mainly be helping a few students who need special support? Will you be working behind the scenes, making photocopies and grading papers? Or will you be taking over entire classes for the teacher? If you have questions about anything the teacher describes, ask earlier rather than later.
You’ll be able to best assist the students if you know what they are learning as well as when and how they are learning it.
Just because you have already taken the class that you’ll be assisting with, doesn’t mean you automatically know all about it from a teacher’s perspective.
Read the teacher’s lesson plans, curriculum books, syllabus, etc., Part of the responsibilities of a teacher are the day-to-day monitoring of student progress.
You can be a huge help to the teacher by sharing in these responsibilities.
Make a tracking sheet with each students’ name with columns of boxes so you can check off who brings their homework on time.
After grading papers, offer to enter the grades into the computer grading system for the teacher.
Or, keep a paper record of the grades on paper to give to them to enter., Some public districts may have rules about who can communicate with parents, but if you are authorized to make parent phone calls, it can be a huge help to the teacher.
Be sure to keep calls professional.
If you are dealing with behavior problems from the student, be sure to include highlights of things the child does well along with your reports of the problem behavior.
No parent wants to hear only negative things about their child; giving only negative reports will decrease the amount of support and cooperation you get from the parent., Something that can be very helpful for a teacher is to run to the copy machine or to the office during class.
An adult needs to remain with the students at all times, so if the teacher realizes she didn’t make enough copies for that day’s lesson, after class has already started, it can be quite stressful.
You can help in this situation by going out and making the needed amount of copies for her., Teachers often have a calendar posted in the classroom that outlines important student dates and events for that month.
You can assist in the sometimes monotonous task of filling in that calendar by offering to complete it for her.
You’ll need to have a grasp on school events and regular classroom procedures before being able to do this., Bathroom emergencies and last minute meetings can happen for teachers.
The school district where you work may have rules about who may stay with students for an extended period of time, but most will allow for a teaching assistant to stay with students for 10 minutes or less.
Make the teacher aware that you are available as needed for this responsibility., Sometimes students may have a particular issue going on that requires them to spend extra time out of class or in the office.
Some students may not be allowed to walk the halls during class without adult supervision.
Other times, a student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) requires that they have occasional breaks from the room.
Ask the teacher if you can be of assistance by remaining with these students and walking with them where they need to go while she is teaching.
About the Author
Jose Cruz
Experienced content creator specializing in home improvement guides and tutorials.
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