Aodonis STOPGAP TEACHING

The TA Life

26/04/2023

Big news! I have moved to Yorkshire to do the same job because the cost of living here is much lower than in London and honestly, I prefer the kindness of the people up here plus it is close to nature and has everything that London has for me to survive.

I started work right after the Easter break and there is plenty of work here as much as in London. My first position is at a high-ranking Ofsted school that does things very differently than in London. It is a large school in Leeds with a high number of pupils. As I check in on the visitors page I realize that they have a lot of supply personnel at this one school which on the outside points to a problem with teacher retention and I can see why. I get there at 8:15 AM and am brought straight through to the classrooms I will be helping out at, yes, you heard that right, I am being employed as a Teaching Assistant on a supply teacher salary which perplexes me as I’m not sure why I am there as it turns out there is already a TA in the classroom plus another supply teacher from an agency. I say nothing and get on with the job. The school is very modern in design with ample indoor and outdoor space. Always the staff are the lifeblood of the school and this institution is no different, passionate and caring for those in their charge is visibly judged by the greeting the students give to their teachers.

After entering I notice that older students are already at school and have to be there at 7:30 AM which is something unheard of in the industry. I’m given a brief timeline that I will be following throughout the day. At first glance, I notice that the Primary level children don’t leave until 4 PM which I find based on research I read about to be counterproductive as younger learners have lower attention spans and less energy as the day goes on. The timeline is packed full of lessons including RWI phonics, Maths, and English which I personally believe to be overwhelming for students at the Reception level.

By 11 AM we have finished two 45-minute lessons and enjoyed a snack which comes in the form of a single slice of toast in place of what most schools in London that use fruit.

After provision/free choice, they come back at 11:30 ready for Lunch which proves to be very nutritious and free for teachers as well. In many schools, Reception classes need help with food and so I end up actually serving the food to the students by adding one type of food to the plate followed by others that we ask each student individually. What is left can be used as seconds when students finish. This is followed by fruit or a small cake before the students go outside to play. I get a whopping 30 minutes for a break and rush to a small seating area inside the school because there is no staff room.

This day helps me understand the pressures facing support staff such as the TAs as they endure the countless tasks expected of them every day, schools are lost without them and I am entirely sure the whole education system in England would collapse without their dedication.

After lunch, we move on to some science work around the lifecycles of animals. The children watch a video and then answer some questions. They then get to draw the lifecycle and write some words about the process before being allowed to play for the last 80 minutes in which I find myself supervising the outside pavilion and then doing some math intervention work to give extra help to students who don’t grasp some topics as easily as others or were absent for a duration. At 3:30 we get the students ready for home, they get some fruit or a biscuit, their jackets are put on and their water bottles are put in their bags. Some singing and videos are put on to relax the students and then the parents call close to 4 to pick up their young. 

Honestly, it was an eye-opener into the difficult work of the TA but also convinces me that teaching is what I love to do. The kids are all gone by 4:10 PM and I am free to go. I do like the school and students but could not accept a position there because I believe that they are too young to spend so much time in school. I believe play should still be part of their experience. Again, teachers and the TAs are the lifeblood and these individuals are amazing and caring people whom I have the utmost respect for but feel this institution is over-schooling the pupils in order to reach targets and goals designed by people with their own motivations.

I have enjoyed working at the school so far, getting to know the students has been great but better still, being treated better and as a member of staff makes this change a happy one.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *