Back at Work
Being a TA in the UK state school system
It was hard to pinpoint what I wanted this month’s newsletter to be about. I wanted to write about work, but too many moments at work seemed too personal to the students, too. But I do realize that I’ve not written much about my job, so I will try to capture it in broad strokes.
In the schools here, there are SEND students, which stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability. This covers everything from selective mutism to children in wheelchairs. Though the majority of what we see is ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and dyslexia.
We are a state school, which is what we would call a public school in the States. Our students are selected based on a catchment area. There are schools that are especially for SEND students, if their needs are high enough that we can’t meet them. Though placements are difficult to come by.
My title is Teaching Assistant, but the position reminds me more of a Classroom Aide. My job is to be in the classroom, helping students who need help. Usually one student is my main focus, but sometimes it’s closer to five students with varying needs.
Usually we have a time-tabled schedule, just like the students have, and we get to know the group of students that we’ll see throughout the year. We start to know if they need help with fine motor skills (maybe cleaning their glasses, or putting on their tie after they’ve changed back into their uniform after PE), or if they need help when they get emotionally overwhelmed, or if they need notes written on a mini whiteboard so they can get everything down in their books even if the teacher moves ahead.
Sometimes I just feel like the person in the room who has tissues and pens. It is my primary way of helping non-SEND students. Sometimes I lend a white board pen, or tape, or scissors. One non-SEND student called me Mary Poppins.
Other days are much harder. You can end up with a student who’s self-harming. You can end up walking with a student who’s telling you about a situation at home that’s abusive. There’s protocol for all of these things, but the protocol doesn’t make it feel better.