I'm currently acting as a 1-1 TA in a secondary school. There's another TA in some lessons who also seems to be a 1-1 with someone else.
She's very young, but comes across as very confident.
I've been a TA before and sometimes thought that certain things may be stepping on the teacher's toes so to speak.
If someone next to me were misbehaving I would certainly reprimand them and tell the teacher if I saw anything else, but this TA will shout at the whole class at times, and give out sanctions, but I'd feel like it's not really my job to address the class like that. Obviously support the teacher if they want it but sometimes it almost felt domineering. She just shouts things across the room.
However what was a little frustrating was that she clearly saw I was a boy's 1-1 TA as I was speaking to him and assisting him. Despite this she came up to the boy and asked him if he needed help and if he knew what he was doing, even though she clearly saw I was his TA and capable of doing the job.
I found it undermining and I've had that sort of thing before. Obviously just chatting to them is one thing but this incident was undermining.
I'm new there and I've smiled at her and said hi but she's never introduced herself, she doesn't acknowledge me at all in lessons and is just totally unfriendly.
I almost dread when she's there. I wonder if it makes me look lacklustre and not competent.
If people around me are talking I'll ask them to listen, but I'm not going to dominate the class.
I feel bad that I've let a young woman of barely 21 made me feel like this, when I have got a lot of school experience. I just ignore her but maybe I should say something when she tries to help my student?
I wanted to but wondered if it would come across as arsey.