To think this was really spiteful

THIS !

Ex teacher here - kids would ask for housepints just for doing something asked of them (nothing extraordinary)

Extrinsic /intrinsic motivation is a tricky one !

Op, some people on here don’t treat kids right. I’ve seen it across a few threads sadly, urging punishments, hurling abuse, calling little kids names. So it’s no surprise you’ve some attacking you and pleased to see this little girl getting treated badly.

remember that’s about them and not you. Please keep supporting these children.

You are popping up on a lot of threads being rude and contradictory. Just a friendly FYI in case you start getting emails from HQ to mind your tone.

As for the situation, it was mean. I agree with others who say the child should be reminded that it’s not ok to ask. I will be the person who says there are many more SEN kids in mainstream there’s days (they are usually the ones who need TA’s as one to one so not irrelevant), and social cues, jumping to asking for something, not being able to wait for an immediate reward for good behaviour is very typical. Denying a reward for concentration/completing work/getting everything right and being so arsy about it can have longterm negative effects on behaviour, all over asking for a sticker. My son used to come home covered head to toe in them, he had a fantastic year due to the TA understanding how stickers were a huge motivation for him. Everyone benefited because behaviour wasnt impacted. But then, he goes to a great school that understands individual needs.

You need to report her to class teacher or member of SLT, totally inappropriate and damaging for the child. Safeguarding issue. I am a teacher and would do the same if this was one of my members of staff,

YANBU

@Stopbeingsomean you sound like a wonderful, observant, empathetic educator and I really hope you stay in the profession and become a leader.

Children thrive when they’re praised, feel cared about and emotionally safe.

The TA is being unnecessarily harsh and overbearing if the child is usually well behaved and tries hard. She sounds like she thinks working with kids is about asserting power over them.

If she’s newly qualified, I’d first speak directly to this TA about your observations. Do so kindly and humbly, e.g. ‘I hope you don’t mind if I pass on some experience, but I notice you’re quite stern with the children and I see it affecting their confidence. Were you taught that in your training?’. She should be keen to improve, if new.

If she reacts badly or carries on, I’d put your concerns in writing to her line manager. If you notice people aren’t using best practice when working with children, it should be recorded. Her unnecessarily harsh behaviour could really devastate a child. I’d cite your requirements from your JDs, performance objectives etc.

The hole in shoes comment, in particular, should have been engaged with. That could have been the child trying to tell her things are difficult at home, i.e. her family can’t afford shoes or her parents are neglectful.

Teachers using their feet to move children is unacceptable. The yardstick of how you treat a child is ‘would I do this to an adult’ and if anyone used their feet to move me along, I’d be horrified. If you got that defensive reaction when you flagged it, rather than thanked and encouraged for mentioning it, sounds like you may need to move school.

Horrible. The TA sounds a bit power-crazed. I’d think she’s in the wrong job - maybe a traffic warden would suit her better.

When mine were in a lovely primary school a temp head teacher was assigned. She was incredibly mean and the school changed overnight. She banned the Christmas nativity for the older children. Wouldn’t allow any snacks (even fruit) after swimming and made them all sit in silence at lunchtime. My DD was shouted at at told she had 3 of her merit points removed for talking at the lunch table and was devastated. This woman had come out of retirement but was awful. How she’d ever worked with children was beyond me. Our now grown DC still remember her stint. She was the sister of a famous comedian too.

@Stopbeingsomean - moaning about a co worker, watching her and reporting back on an anonymous forum is not in the child / school's best interest. You should be ashamed.

Yeah I am not arguing that she deserved the sticker, I would have given her one. I would also have said in a light hearted way to remember it's not polite to ask for things.

Identify not identity

It was a small group and the other TA clearly gives out stickers for good (effort I hope) work. Katie wasn’t randomly asking for a sticker. It’s great that Katie was able to do work worthy of a sticker and identity that she had done it. If seven year old Katie is having trouble ordering numbers like 11 and 9 then she clearly deserves and should get the praise and sticker rewards that are usual for her interventions.

Look at you condoning spiteful behaviour towards children....if the teachers that leave are anything like this one, they're better off away from kids anyway!

If the teacher is expecting the work to be done independently, then the TA should let Katie do it independently. How else will the teacher be able to assess Katie’s progress? I would go to Katie’s teacher and express your concerns about how the other TA is handling her interventions.

I'm a teacher of that age group, I wouldn't have handled it that way but I would have reminded her that she shouldn't ask for it.

Children are increasingly entitled these days. Just in the last 2 weeks we have had a couple of mums into talk to the class about their career/religion and both times several children have asked if they could have one of the things she brought into show them.

Even after discussing why that was rude with them after the first visit a few still asked the second mum 🙄.

She wasn’t being cheeky though. She was in a very small intervention group, and so the TA was giving her lots of attention and she asked if she had done well enough to get a sticker. That’s not being cheeky.

TA sounds like a bitch! Honestly some of the stuff my kids have told me about the TAs makes me wonder where they find them.

Someone’s on a power trip over a 7 year old! What a sad twerp!

And you wonder why so many people are leaving education. Maybe the TA was having a bad day. The little girl was cheeky. Move on, let her learn a lesson.

This

This little girl was cheeky and rude. You don't ask for things like that - I don't ever recall, ever, anyone in my class asking a teacher if they will get a high mark (equivalent of a sticker, I suppose). This is how entitlement is bred and nurtured. Well done to the teacher.