Page 8 | Correcting Teaching Assistant's grammar and spelling

UpSheGoesJosephine · 2026-09-19T19:28:31+00:00

If you were a TA in a primary school, would you be comfortable correcting a fellow TA if they spelt something incorrectly or used bad grammar. Such as, 'I done this' or pacific instead of specific.

Ariela · 23/09/2026 15:45

It is nothing new, I was a total PIA for my first teacher in Yr1, a Mr Curtis. Any slight mistake and my hand was up. It was no wonder they moved me to the next class up.

Anarchy99 · 23/09/2026 15:56

LeaderBee · 23/09/2026 12:40

Of course it matters, to a degree this is just an accent as cringe as it is, but as long as the TA is not teaching people this is the way it should be done, i don't see a problem.

Sure, it makes them sound uneducated and this may well be the case, but if the TA is teaching correctly then there's no real problem other than your prejudice.

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How is it prejudice? Why is it okay for people to teach your children when they don’t know the basics themselves?

Differentforgirls · 23/09/2026 15:58

Anarchy99 · 23/09/2026 15:56

How is it prejudice? Why is it okay for people to teach your children when they don’t know the basics themselves?

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TAs aren't teachers.

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 17:35

LeaderBee · 23/09/2026 15:20

Sorry, Abraham Lincoln, I should have said dialect.

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Abraham Lincoln?

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 17:37

Differentforgirls · 23/09/2026 15:58

TAs aren't teachers.

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They are often used to cover whole classes in place of teachers - with no extra pay.

Sunbringer · 23/09/2026 17:43

Not unless it was written in a child’s book or something. They could argue for dialect and say my accent is also wrong…

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 18:07

'Should of' is just wrong. There are no excuses for teaching this. It's worse than 'we was' which is dialect because 'was' and 'were' are, at least, the same verb.

NormasArse · 23/09/2026 18:11

I was a TA for 25 years. When a class teacher made a mistake on the board, I would point it out quietly, and say something like, ‘It’s tricky when you’re thinking and writing quickly, isn’t it?’

Growlybear83 · 23/09/2026 18:14

AlwaysExtraHot · 23/09/2026 12:44

Also here for the answer to this!

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As I said in a previous reply, I moved my daughter to another school. This happened close to the end of term, and was the culmination of the best part of two years of poor teaching, because the teacher had moved up with the class from Year 1. I went to visit a couple of other schools the day after this happened, and once I had been offered a place that I was happy with, I went to see the Headteacher to explain why I was moving my daughter.

AlwaysExtraHot · 23/09/2026 18:23

Growlybear83 · 23/09/2026 18:14

As I said in a previous reply, I moved my daughter to another school. This happened close to the end of term, and was the culmination of the best part of two years of poor teaching, because the teacher had moved up with the class from Year 1. I went to visit a couple of other schools the day after this happened, and once I had been offered a place that I was happy with, I went to see the Headteacher to explain why I was moving my daughter.

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OK, thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't see your previous reply.

LeaderBee · 23/09/2026 19:27

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 17:35

Abraham Lincoln?

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Yes? That's who Walt Whitman is referring to in his famous Poem, O'Captain, My Captain!

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 19:31

LeaderBee · 23/09/2026 19:27

Yes? That's who Walt Whitman is referring to in his famous Poem, O'Captain, My Captain!

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My user name is a quote from The Archers although I am aware of the poem.

suburburban · 23/09/2026 20:23

LeaderBee · 23/09/2026 19:27

Yes? That's who Walt Whitman is referring to in his famous Poem, O'Captain, My Captain!

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Is that the poem featured in Dead Poet’s - starring Robin Williams

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 20:25

suburburban · 23/09/2026 20:23

Is that the poem featured in Dead Poet’s - starring Robin Williams

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But it's not the reason I chose my user name.

suburburban · 23/09/2026 20:39

Theroadt · 20/09/2026 07:18

Me too. Young kids pick things up quickly - my son started saying “them two” instead of “those two” because of the low literacy of his particular TA. Moved yeargroups, better educated TA, it disappeared.

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Yes them and those

where I work it seems to be the dialect of some of the teachers

they say “them ones”

suburburban · 23/09/2026 20:40

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 20:25

But it's not the reason I chose my user name.

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fair enough 😀

it was a great film though

AnonyMumAuDHD · 23/09/2026 20:56

Honeyandwine · 19/09/2026 20:42

‘Badly educated.’ Bit harsh. My TA has a master’s degree in History. Poorly paid yes but don’t assume they are not educated.

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Agree - many TAs are people getting a few years work experience before applying to do teacher training, and making sure they really want to work in that environment.

SpecialShark · 23/09/2026 21:11

Growlybear83 · 19/09/2026 20:47

Many teachers have atrocious standards of spelling and grammar. When my daughter was in Year 2, her teacher marked her English work, and crossed out part if a sentence where she had written ‘I would have’. She changed it to ‘I would of’.

What?? That's depressing.

MCF86 · 23/09/2026 21:17

ElefantAndCastle · 19/09/2026 20:39

I wouldn't. TAs are badly educated and badly paid. A lot of teachers can't spell or write anyway.

This TA is a graduate.

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2026 21:51

AnonyMumAuDHD · 23/09/2026 20:56

Agree - many TAs are people getting a few years work experience before applying to do teacher training, and making sure they really want to work in that environment.

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Or teachers accepting a job with less money and less stress for a few years before retirement. .

Anarchy99 · 24/09/2026 07:22

Differentforgirls · 23/09/2026 15:58

TAs aren't teachers.

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No but they are dealing with the children in a learning environment. They sit with them and help them, do they not?

Anarchy99 · 24/09/2026 07:24

AnonyMumAuDHD · 23/09/2026 20:56

Agree - many TAs are people getting a few years work experience before applying to do teacher training, and making sure they really want to work in that environment.

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Then there is no excuse for poor standards of English.

Differentforgirls · 24/09/2026 07:34

Anarchy99 · 24/09/2026 07:22

No but they are dealing with the children in a learning environment. They sit with them and help them, do they not?

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I agree. They don’t teach them.

HambleTheDoll · 24/09/2026 07:38

When I was a TA I had to quietly correct the teacher several times. Could of is my particular bug bear but once I had to correct them trying after they wrote ‘tommorows homework’ on the board.

I felt like a bit of a dick tbh but knew it needed to be done.

Bikergran · 24/09/2026 07:43

TheSunIsAlwaysThere · 19/09/2026 20:30

Does anyone really say or write pacific for specific? Really?

I once told a teacher she had made a mistake on the spelling list for the test.

Oh, they defiantly do.......