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  Teacher Assistants
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  Careers / Teacher Assistants  
     
 
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Reviews
There are 12 reviews of this career.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
4.5 stars
 
Date:
 October 07, 2008
  I highly reccomend being a an instruction assistant. In my work it is called a paraprofessional. I work with elementary age severe disablity students, mostly Austic. I highly reccomend starting out as an assistant to get your foot in the door if you are thinking about going into special education teaching. You can be a assistant gaining valuable classroom experience while attending school to get the teaching certification. I reccomend being a teaching assistant because it is very rewarding carrer and I feel like I making a difference to those who get forgotten about. If I had to do it all over again I would choose this career again. My goal is to get my special education certification and be a teacher, but until then being an assistant is a great job and I figure I am gaining valuable experience. The pros are you do not have to have a college degree, just a high school diploma in most cases. You are gaining valuable experience working with children. Cons are it does not pay very much and depending on your setting it can be hard work. As an instructional assistant you need to also get along and agree with the teacher you are working with because he or she will be your boss and you have to do what they say. You are also undervalued. An assiant at times does even more than the teacher, but the teacher gets the credit. It is a very rewarding career and it make a difference in the lives of students.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
3.5 stars
 
Date:
 September 09, 2008
  A teaching assistant career is recommended for people who are interested in getting experience in the schools to one day become a teacher or other school professional. I would recommend this career for younger individuals with a lot of energy to assist and help the children. Sometimes, as a teaching assistant, you will be asked to cover duties such as lunch duty, recess duty, and breakfast duty. This can be a little stressful because there is normally two or three people watching an entire grade. Also, depending on the type of teaching assistant you are, you may not get a break. I worked 8:20-2pm and didn't get a break because I was constantly helping teachers or covering duties. If given the chance to do the job again I defiantly would. It is great to know that you have an influence on children lives and it is important to be a role model for them. Many times the children would love to be around you and it can be a really fun job. Some of the pros of the job would be experience, the satisfaction of helping students, and getting your foot in the door within the school system. The cons would include not getting a break and having to deal with some teachers that are not very nice. My advice would be to make this job fun. For example, if you have recess duty come up with a game that you can play with the majority of the children at recess.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
5 stars
 
Date:
 January 19, 2008
  What is a Paraeducator? Most states do not offer this degree so I am part of a new generation of educators. Unlike the current certificate program some people can receive for Paraeducation, I have been trained in physical and mental child development and instructed in closer observation methods, evaluation methods, and intervention methods.

In a typical day at work I interact one-on-one or in small groups with children. This individual time allows the students to have more contact with an instructor and receive general assistance with school work, relationship issues, and other difficulties. I am also able to teach a class, much like a substitute teacher, in some states like Texas.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
3 stars
 
Date:
 July 25, 2007
  One of the best things about my job is that it's a chance to work with students without being completely alone. When I work in school programs, the teacher is almost always there to back me up. However, I don't have the same independence for lesson plans and teaching methods that I would with my own classroom.

The hours are extremely flexible. The company I work for allows me to take on as many or as few hours as I'd like.

One of the most important things to remember is to be patient and not to take things personally. There will always be students who act out and try to get a reaction out of you. Just remember to let it go and do the best you can.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
4 stars
 
Date:
 June 04, 2007
  This career is great for anyone considering a permanent position in the field of education. Not only does it give someone real classroom experience, but helps to teach and prepare that person for classroom expectations. I highly recommend this career to anyone who enjoys working with children of any age. I would definately apply for this position if I had to do it all over again. Some pros include summer breaks, decent pay, and a "foot in the door" of the school district. Pros include no work during summer, no benefits other than a 401K, and very little job security. This career is not for people who don't enjoy being around kids. Also, a love of education and a desire to better the education system are helpful traits. There is little experience required, so it is a great way to gain work experience.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
3.5 stars
 
Date:
 March 21, 2007
  Teaching Assistant in Special Education is a good job for those who like to help other people, no matter how sick, unpredictable, or unpleasant to deal with they are. Sometimes this work may became excruciatingly boring when you need to repeat some simple activity about 100 times while teaching a mentally retarded child. But what a bliss you may experience, once your student learnt something new, or if an autistic child you've been working with for two months mumbles your name for the first time! This is your true reward and ... relief.

There isn't much money in this field. In some states they pay more, in some - less, but you will never get more than approximately half of teacher's salary. On the positive side, you get decent medical insurance, reimbursement of some part of your tuition, if you take courses, and, best of all, whole summer off! However, you will never get paid during summer. It is usually a ten-months contract.

I would recommend Teaching Assistant job to those who are planning to take college courses to complete their higher education, or those who retired and need some additional income. But, in any case, you need to like children, be patient, and forgiving.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
2.5 stars
 
Date:
 January 23, 2007
  This career is a lot of heart work, but not much else. It's fantastic being around the kids all the time, but it's hard just being an assistant. It's a lot of no brain work such as making copies and grading papers which is frustrating as a person capable of working closer with the students. Overall though I enjoy my work, but I am looking for something more challenging.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
3.5 stars
 
Date:
 January 21, 2007
  In order to be successful in this profession, you must care for children. It is also wise to be open to a variety of teaching methods and educational ideology. Often teacher assistant positions in school districts are part time or less; at least less than forty hours per week. They also get the same days off as the students do as a general rule. This is an ideal situation for a parent of a student. In enables you to be with your children before and after school. Besides the schedule factor, other benefits are: being aware of how things are taught in your school district, knowing the teachers that may be teaching your child, and the obvious and most rewarding aspect of all- helping children, feeling their loyalty, love and confidence in you--their teacher. The down side is the pay is very low. School districts don't have a lot of money. Also schools are havens for illnesses. Unfortunately you also come in contact with very sad situations from students home life that can depress you or make you very frustrated. I love teaching. The rewards outway the drawbacks.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
3.5 stars
 
Date:
 January 14, 2007
  good things
-we can interact with too many children
-we can tell our ideas,share our views
-job satisfaction
bad things
-too much of workload
-strictly we have to maintain the time constraints
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Author:
   Anonymous  
3.5 stars
 
Date:
 December 26, 2006
  it is tiring but helps you to gain experience. you can get to know a out working standards and will help you get a good payibng job . and your resume will look very ery good. so do it. if you have chance...
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Author:
   Anonymous  
4 stars
 
Date:
 December 09, 2006
  I work in Special Education, and I love it. My advice to people wanting to enter this field would be to START ALREADY! Many of the people I work with have been volunteering since high school. One even volunteered in elementary school. It's intimidating at first, but once you get to know the kids it's worthwhile. One piece of advice: Special Education mindsets vary even more than those in regular education. Find one where you really like the policies, or you're going to be tortured by enforcing them. (For example, whether kids are allowed to "stim," whether they should be rigidly structured, etc.) You won't make a whole lot, but it's massively rewarding.
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Author:
   Anonymous  
5 stars
 
Date:
 December 08, 2006
  I would recommend this career to someone who is self-motivated and love to work one on one with children with various learning differences. If I had to do it all over again I would apply for this position again. This career is both heart breaking and rewarding at the same time. I work assisting not only the classroom teachers but mostly keeping up with a child or small group of children. Working in this field you need to be detail oriented and be able to see what is the driving force of certain behaviors of disabled children. Consistency is key, children need contants in their lives, places and people they can rely on. It is a long term career with constant learning and updating your knowledge base of what disabilities your are working with. You need to go on your own and research topics and techniques to incorporate into their learning styles, however, you need to remain flexable to change if a system doesn't work for each individual.
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