Working well with your TA

A TA (Teaching assistant) is very important to a teacher and can really help in all aspects of the classroom. As a teacher, having a good relationship with your teaching assistant is vital if you want to gain their respect and work well together as a team to achieve what needs to be done. With teachers under so much pressure, a TA can be there to take some of the load off them and may be able to spend time one on one with a child who needs a little extra attention. They can also be a teacher’s second pair of eyes and may be able to judge what is going on in situations more so than the teacher can if they are distracted by something else.

Teachers need to be able to rely upon their assistants but also need to give them some responsibility so they feel like they are needed. Allowing your TA to have input into some lessons or how work is displayed will show that you value their opinion and trust them to do a good job which can go a long way. They can also be a huge support if you are struggling with the class and may be able to take a small group off to work allowing you more time to spend with other students.