What would you think about a TA doing this

[diamondsforapril]

Repeatedly telling children

you can't do this
this is too hard
well I don't understand this
I don't know, it's too hard
this is too hard for them, they can't do it (to teacher but in earshot of the students)
?

woodhill:

In fairness, that may not be the issue. I am 'academic' and (not boasting) can follow most secondary curriculum content, with the possible exception of A* Maths because it isn't a personal strength anymore (I still got good Maths grades at school) but I have observed lessons where I couldn't have done the work with a gun to my head because of poor task design or explanation. I have also observed (and in my early days in the classroom, taught) lessons where the work was designed very well but pitched poorly and consequently inaccessible to the students. This isn't always the teacher's fault either; sometimes the students have to follow an examination syllabus even when they are not ready for it.

What's your relationship to this person? Are you the teacher, another TA?

In my experience some TAs are more experienced in a year group than the teacher. More context needed though.

In 28 years of teaching, I've always appreciated, respected, admired & got on with all TAs apart from ONE who was exactly as described by the OP. I put up with a lot before I finally snapped due to the negative effect it was having on my lively but lovely Year 8 French class. She would :

• criticise the students to one another
• loudly say that she didn't understand the (differentiated, easy) work
• interrupt me, the students and the sound tracks
• discuss / slag off my teaching in the Staffroom, at length
• bizarrely, go through my classroom bin 😧, pick out any sheet of paper in there, read it & comment eg: 'This trip letter should be returned if nobody in your Form wanted it'

After this, I told the SENCO that the class would be better without her (which it was). She was re-allocated to my NQT colleague, whom she reduced to tears within 3 lessons, by attempting to take over her lesson, correcting her MFL wrongly, and sitting in her chair.

It was a nightmare and I / we were really upset about it. Sadly, she didn't change her ways & continued her spiteful, undermining tactics. The students disliked her, but 'SLT' predictably failed to address the problems she caused, and used her 'views' to develop ammo against teachers she was allocated to.

Bad for everyone involved, especially the other TAs, as we all became defensive.

albertcamus: Oh god, if there is one thing guaranteed to get my back up it is being interrupted/talked over by another adult in the classroom. I need my TA to hear what I am saying, and I need the children he or she is working with to hear it! Half of me thinks some of them would get on better without someone wittering down their ear for five hours a day, allowing them to actually listen to what their teacher is asking them to do

I have been known to stop giving instruction and wait for the TA to stop talking!

If it's constant that's really not ok. Kids are quick enough to lose interest if something is hard, without the TA encouraging them to give up! The TA can acknowledge that it's new and difficult while still supporting them to keep on task, to ask the teacher to explain again or explain differently

Another teacher here. I would absolutely lay into a TA who did this- it's incredibly unprofessional, undermining both the students and the teacher. It's happened to me twice in many years. First was terrible- had to just get rid. Second I made cry, but then spent a long time training her up and she was fab by the end.

Start with a very firm conversation about classroom expectations. Arrange some after school training for the TA in areas where they are weak. Flag up quietly that you are doing all this with the SENCO/TA co-ordinator. If they can't or won't learn then write the problems up to their line manager, along with a plan for improvement.

You are the qualified professional. They are the unqualified, probably minimum wage, assistant. Your responsibility to manage the situation- you spend all day managing kids, this is no different.

Yes fair point, I have experienced this trifle. Diplomacy and negotiation are skills a TA needs