People who described themselves as teachers when they’re actually teaching assistance or cover supervisor

[KarlWrenbury]

This is a thing I’ve noticed recently. Is it because they can’t be asked to describe what they really do or is it slightly more disingenuous? For reference no I don’t think it’s a great amazing thing to be a teacher but it’s interesting that they do.

assistants *

I'm a teacher and I have no issue with this. I have always called the nursery staff at my kids' nursery "the teachers" even though most of them aren't technically teachers in terms of qualifications. But they've taught one or both of my kids to clap their hands, eat with cutlery, use a potty, put a coat on, write her name, etc etc. That's teaching. They're teachers, imo.

Who cares? I applaud them for still wanting to work in the absolute shit show that is our state schools.

Strictly speaking though, cover teachers should not teach a lesson. We’re given strict instructions at our place that a cover teacher watches kids do work and might explain the instructions but they can’t possibly have secondary teacher level knowledge. I certainly couldn’t teach half of the subjects myself.!

Again, I think there’s a difference between secondary and primary here

I was at a party many moons ago and had been accepted onto a PGCE. I got talking to a woman who was about 15 years my senior and she was talking about how she was a teacher. She was dropping it into the conversation left right and centre, and in my excitement I told her I would very soon be starting my PGCE and where did she train? She looked horrified, then stuttered and named a governing body that I know for a fact does not train teachers. I was really surprised and even though I instantly knew it was a lie, I involuntarily exclaimed '[xxxx] trains teachers?' and she literally made her excuses and could not get out of there fast enough. I don't want to say what her original response was as its a bit outing, but imagine sometime saying they trained to be a personal trainer in Sports Direct or a midwife in Mothercare. I thought, if you're going to lie, at least get your back story straight.

Edited to add: this teacher was in fact a teaching assistant at a local school, as I discovered.

I do agree that TAs teach, and spend a lot of their time doing so. The TAs in my school are worth their weight in gold and would be more than able to step into my shoes if I was absent, and are actually more skilled and knowledgeable than some qualified teachers I've worked with. However the training to be a teacher is very rigorous and the responsibility ultimately falls on the teacher, often necessitating a great deal of work during the weekends and in the evenings. For this reason, I do think that there is kind of a gravitas that the role carries which embodies more than just the act of teaching.

If a TA or cover supervisor is, in good faith, using the word 'teacher' to represent the main facet of the role which they feel they fulfil, I guess it's fair enough. However it's just disingenuous for anyone to deliberately use any kind of term which would mislead people into thinking that someone has gone through years of education and training that they haven't.

Not true

I know a TA in secondary who was given her own classes (maths)

I don't think there is.

I'd be unimpressed at someone calling themselves, say, a physics teacher, if they didn't know the first thing about physics.

But just about any adult in charge of children is teaching them something.

If they are given their own classes that means they are working as an unqualified teacher. With the lower pay that that attracts. More fool them for taking that.

There’s a lunchtime supervisor a teacher then?
I think it’s interesting that the people who might complain about physicians assistants don’t seem to see this distinction in education

they can’t possibly have secondary teacher level knowledge.
Why couldn't they?
I no longer work in a school but if I were to get a job as a cover supervisor I could absolutely have secondary teacher level knowledge in 4 subjects. Because that is my qualification.

It is almost impossible to cover a lesson without teaching in some capacity. Helping students with misconceptions, using your own knowledge to supplement the cover instructions, walking around the classroom to see if anyone needs help.

I think it’s fine. As long as people don’t mind a nurse calling themselves a doctor or a flight attendant calling themselves a pilot…..

You sound really snobby tbh. What do you teach out of interest? I'm guessing not English...!

Maybe it's near their home.
Maybe it fits round their kids.
Maybe they're gaining experience before training.
Just because you wouldn't do it doesn't mean they are fools!

Who is calling themselves a teacher? And how do you know they aren’t

I used to be a TA and worked with someone who was pretty crap at her job - also a TA. She has a ‘famous’ son who is always quoting that his mum is a teacher. I laugh every time.

Yawn

I once had a grandparent come and lecture me about all the ways I was an awful teacher (in their opinion). Really went at me with loads of examples of what they do in their practice. I assumed they were a teacher or a TA. Turns out they were an after school club supervisor 🤣

I was a cover supervisor, which in my school (at that time) meant I planned, taught and marked my own lessons, and was class teacher for a year 3 class one day per week while their teacher was half day PPA and half day NQT time.

If I'm talking to a teacher or someone who works in schools I'll use the term cover supervisor (though I know most people would not assume the true breadth of my work and experience using this term). However now I've moved sectors and work with non teachers I say I was a teacher. A) because I was, and b) because they would not know what cover supervisor meant and even if they did, see a).

Many TAs are qualified teachers with several years of teaching experience. Becoming a TA doesn’t mean you stop being a qualified reacher.

Why couldn't they have secondary level knowledge, are you implying they are all thick and didn't go to school.
It's high school ffs they are teaching basics, they are not genius specialists in their subjects... or they probably wouldn't be teaching.

I have a cousin who says he’s a nurse, he’s actually a nursing assistant. Any time he has a photo taken at work/in his uniform he makes sure he has a stethoscope around his neck, like that makes it official 😂

This really isn’t the case in secondary. I’ve taught for 20 years and have only ever met one TA who was a qualified teacher.
Occasionally we have TAs with degrees, they normally last about six months before then training as a teacher or leaving for other work.

I'm a qualified experienced teacher who works as a TA.

More and more TAs are taking class responsibilities in school, 3 TAs in my school have full time teaching responsibilities- do reports, parents evenings that’s being a teacher. 2 are qualified teachers, 1 isn’t.

If you say teaching assistant - people still assume it’s the mums army of yesterday where we did jobs for the teacher and was their ‘assistant’- photocopying, displays etc. Now many are covering classes, PPA, planning and delivering interventions, being part of external agency meetings. We aren’t the teachers assistant anymore, assistant teacher is a better title for TAs.