To pull someone up on their incorrect use of grammar in the classroom of children?

[biebersLadyLabyrinth]

I'm working with another TA (new to this job) until the term breaks and we're not getting on. I used to be a parent at the school and thought she didn't mind me as I wasn't a fussy parent (she's always had the reputation for being a bit scary-this said by children and parents alike but she was good to mine and our paths rarely crossed)

She's very cool with me which I can handle and furthermore if she doesn't like me no problem as long as we can get the job done.

She keeps criticising my using certain phrases like "splendid" or "Cheese and Crackers" as a child-friendly expletive even "marvellous" bothers her. This said, I've heard her over and over incorrectly speak to children. When one little boy told her his mum doesn't like him to say a phrase in that way-he was chided and told her way is perfectly ok.

I'm tempted to say something to her but worry she'll get a bit nasty.

I have an MA in English Lit and don't know how to use a comma ...we all have strengths and weaknesses. And even as a 6 year old if you used 'cheese and crackers' instead of something easier like 'my word' or 'gosh' I'd have called you a loser to my mates.
If she used were and was the wrong way round, however, I would have major issues.

I don't think that her mistakes would be a problem if she wasn't constantly correcting you.

Record her speaking, then play it back to the class, and see if they can spot the mistakes.

Passive aggression for the win.

Telling students that most adverbs end in -ly is not giving them incorrect information.

Again, many students struggle to learn the function of parts of speech within a sentence. This is a way to BEGIN teaching this, rather like telling young children that most birds can fly.

Of course you explain the function of adverbs (along with verbs, nouns, participles, etc.), but you would be remiss if you didn't mention that most adverbs begin with -ly. Older children should be advised to strengthen their writing by limiting or eliminating adverbs, and a good way to go about editing is to look out for -ly, then stop and determine whether the word is an adverb and may be thus eliminated or replaced by a stronger verb.

I defy anybody to produce a grammar text that does NOT mention that most adverbs end in -ly.

Telling students that most adverbs end in -ly is not giving them incorrect information

That's true.

Except the head said that most 'ly' words were adverbs.

Which is different to saying most adverbs end in 'ly'

I haven't read all ten pages but I suspect the other TA is threatened by you OP, which is entirely due to her own insecurity. She 'corrects' you because she perceives you as 'posh' or something else ridiculous which makes her feel inadequate in some way. Take her to one side and ask her to stop correcting you in front of the children. If she has an issue it should be handled away from the kids. If she persists then speak to the teacher.

Don't waste your time OP, poor grammar is EVERYWHERE these days. Newsreaders, journalists, authors, people in many professions appear to have no idea of correct grammar (or spelling), and there's nothing you or I can do about it. I am an English teacher and have known many colleagues whose grammar and spelling is very poor, and so it continues down to their pupils. I find it rather sad.

I'm not posh in any way, shape or form and I'm not British either.

Looks like we will be working together in September so I will have a word with my LM.

Dreading this.

Don't dread it. She is just trying to undermine you and her English is poor.

She has no right to behave as she does towards you. She clearly resents you -
probably due to your ability to use correct grammar.

Going to your LM is correct procedure.

Speak Scouse, Doric, Smeggins or whatever to your hearts content if you like, replace "would have" with "would of" if you must, insist that your newly-created dialect is a national treasure if you need to; but keep it away from the classroom, and don't pretend that your idiosyncratic and parochial usage is as good as all others: doing to makes you look silly

Exactly.

I would have a word with the HT first and explain your concerns because it's mainly about the TA dissing you in class as well as your problems with her lack of grammar. Perhaps you could suggest a meeting with the three of you.

If the TA is actually helping to teach them to read that's a major step, however she speaks. If she can do basic arithmetic that's another.

OP she treating you this way precisely because you aren't British and your English is better than hers. She is insecure.

She is definitely insecure - as she should be given her ungrammatical English. Maybe she is jealous of you in other ways, too. Who knows?

I am heartily sick of VCOP which advocates teaching children that adverbs should actually just be referred to as "-ly"words.
I go to great lengths to inform children that this is not so.
Yes, MANY adverbs end in -ly. So do many adjectives! And many adverbs do not end in -ly!
As I point out to my pupils; when you're learning a foreign language, the teacher isn't going to say,
"Today we are going to learn some French
-ly words."
Or Spanish/Italian/Swahili etc.
Instead, I teach my pupils how to identify and use adverbs. And I've done so successfully with 6 year olds!