As a teacher aide, I believe I am in an enviable position. I get to work directly with the students without the responsibility that a teacher has. There is a drawback to this however. When I notice that a teacher is having problems coping with behaviour management within the classroom, I am not in a position to help them a great deal.
My final class for today was a grade 8 music class. It is a relatively small class. There wouldn't be more than 20 students in it. Many of the students in this class are challenging in a behavioural sense however. For better or for worse, I am in the class to assist the Indigenous students. Although the Indigenous students do absolutely need a hand with the class work, it is the non-indigenous students who are the naughtier kids in the class. My kids, as a whole, are pretty damn good.
After all the students left for the day, the teacher instantly broke down and cried. While I busied myself with a particular Indigenous student throughout the class, she had been run ragged trying to control the other naughtier kids. Now, I had a definite reason why I was only focusing on that one student this afternoon. Just before the class had started, the Community Education Counsellor had informed me that the teacher had been having problems with him. He is also a kid who can take or leave me sometimes. This afternoon he asked for my help, so I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to build a little better relationship with him. Through focusing on just this one student, however, I was oblivious to the teacher's plight.
I must admit that I feel for this teacher, as well as feeling a little guilty about being completely unaware of how much difficulty she was having. She is a lovely woman. Granted, she is not strong in the behaviour management area, but other than that, she seems to be a great teacher. Although teacher aides are supposed to leave behaviour management up to the teachers, I might have a chat to one of the deputy principals tomorrow if she is free to clarify my boundaries and see just what I can do to help this teacher, if anything.
You were very mindful to see that this child needed your special attention. Perhaps without the use of an aide the teacher would have missed it all together. She might have had a hard time, but at least one child got attention it wouldn't otherwise have, good job.
ReplyDeletesee, this is why we should have compulsery millitary service alongside our schooling, nothing like a bit of martial discipline to stop kids from being little brats, it would help with teenage beahivoural problems, make the population fitter and more healthy, and help with our piss tiny defence force issue all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteawww... see how nice and caring you are!!!
ReplyDeletei still don't like teachers tho
*shudders*