Correcting Teaching Assistant's grammar and spelling

[UpSheGoesJosephine]

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.

These children will have to do SATs, where they will be judged on their SPAG. So they need the adults involved in their learning to have good SPAG. It's not like correcting someone where it doesn't matter how they speak or spell,on schools it does matter.

Its one of my pet hates and I cannot unhear it!

Yes of course. Lots of people do. Often.

Native speaker? gosh...

I’m a TA and I do it to teachers(politely and most of the times quietly, unless I’m asked)if it’s written work. They’ve all been grateful.

Oi oi l'm from Essex but know my spag!! Husband from London and l will never stop him saying we was, you was, they was!

People are usually very tolerant to accents and misspellings in workplaces and social settings. But I do think that one of the job entry criteria for teaching is a strong SPAG and clear speech.

Depends. If they are teaching kids bad spelling and grammar then yes I would. Otherwise no

I also have a Masters. In Education.
I do it because DH works away a lot and the job means I can guarantee being around to manage my own kids.
And I love it. I can make a difference to the kids I work with.

Yes loads of people do. It’s a well known quirk. I once heard a linguist explain why but I can’t remember the reason.

I totally corrected DS's daily feedback sheet competed by a PSW, stating that he "done literacy" that day. He's non verbal and has a very high level of needs re his intellectual disability, but still....

I have an MA, a BA and an BSc. Plus a PGCE, a TEFL qualification, 4 A-levels and 9 GCSEs.

Don't be so judgemental and narrow -minded.

Surely not??

Unless he's teaching in a school where it's his job to ensure even the most deprived students have access to the best outcomes so they can gain entry into top universities, if they choose to apply.

Schools are not the place for placating adults and their personal hang ups. School staff need to have a high standard of English and be able to model this to students.

I'd ask the school's leaders to address the issue holistically. Choose a word / phrase / area of colloquial language or dialect that is non-standard and ask all staff to focus that week on ironing it out of their language "at work". Making a concentrated effort not to use it around the children.

OP: have a list ready for SLT to work their way through(!)

Ooh I like this asking SLT to address it with words of the week. The issue for me as a teacher is that the headteacher is the worst one!

Haha I’m saving this! The amount of times I’ve told my kids this 🤣

They shouldn't be doing this work if they're unsure how to do it. Yes, correct them, as what's the point in children going to school if they get the wrong advice. Of course school staff do a very difficult job and don't get paid enough, but you could say the same about carers/some medical staff. Before anyone says those people could kill others if they give medication incorrectly (and that's happened), the main point of children having education is to learn.

Yes, I’ve heard ‘pacific’ quite a few times.

I was in a school assembly where a teacher used the line “She never fails to disappoint.” about a student who had been brilliant. I really don’t know what she was trying to say but I wanted the ground to swallow me up from second hand embarrassment. I likely wouldn’t say anything but you really should.

Omg 🙈

😱

That’s difficult. Do you mean that she spells things wrongly in front of the children?
You can’t correct her in front of them, could you tell the teacher she mainly works with or her line manager?

That’s outrageous.

I once corrected my teacher when I was 10 and he misspelled anaesthetic! Now however I’d be careful to have this addressed in a group setting by the appropriate person.

Nothing like a bit of wild generalisation. My friend who is a graduate and has a professional qualification works as a TA, just because she fancied a change. Apparently it's quite amusing when teachers try to patronise her.