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Q: Do we really need teaching assistants?
They dont get paid much, so they dont do much either. Just sit and play with phone whilst the foreign teacher teaches and complain about salary and claim they are tired.
8 years 39 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
I am not a teacher, but I did a little stint of teaching Basic English to my company employees… I’ve had two TA’s so far... during the class I have to call out their name to pull their heads out of the phone, every time I want them to translate something (that’s their only job, though I don’t know what your TA’s do)… but whining about everything, remains the same... 
Shining_brow:
Depending on your personality, and how you want to remain in this company..... but:
I'd be calling them out - and telling them that if they're just going to play on their damn phone and bitch about giving 2 seconds of input into the class, to kick them out and don't bother coming.
This may not go down well later, but that's up to you.
Iron12:
@ shining brow, why wont it go down well later? Im considering telling mine off. All she does is the phone thingy and gossip
Shining_brow:
It's the gossip that will be the problem... if you're going to make someone lose face here, remember that they'll hold that grudge FOREVER! And will need to get revenge on you.. through malicious acts of spite. This will mean trying to get you fired - or much much worse, if they can.
They will try to make your name mud.
So, that will also mean, they'll try to get a lot more guanxi to use against you.
Me - I don't care about such things :)
Karma101:
yep, for me these are my colleagues... so I can't go all sparta on them for the same reason you mentioned (also I intend to stick around for another year), though every time it pisses me off.. I manage a day dream for couple of seconds about calling them in front of the class and kicking them in the ditch.. puts a small curve on my face... and I get back to teaching.
sure. They're like those old woman sitting inside the elevator and pressing the button for you....
I did not have a TA. The school owner said this was to give them the immersive experience. In reality it was probably just done out of cheapness. i'd imagine the benefits of having a TA outstrip the problems of having one. If they takeover your class, pronounce the words for you, or tell the kids your English is bad, then your are better off without them. However a good one is worth their weight in gold (they don't weigh much). I found when planning my ideas with the TA that it was difficult to communicate my ideas with her. Granted a lot of the time this was because my ideas were bad and incomprehensible. Other times it was because their English was rubbish, or it may be down to difference in teaching styles.Without them i found it very hard to keep discipline which is a thousand times harder in training schools
coineineagh:
yeah, i had it as a teaching requirement. they discipline otherwise uncontrollable countryside kids. when they left the classroom, discipline left a few seconds later. it's not so bad for students you have taught for a while, but new kids really need the assistant.
TAs are virtually useless but it's not entirely their fault, they are underpaid and thus don't give much of a fuck about their job.
In kindergartens, TAs are more here as spies for the management than anything else.
In my last teaching job the schoolwas insisting to send TA in my lessons, I told them I would quit if they did so.
Iron12:
Yes true, they are just spies and like to gossip and keep secrets from you
I always thought they were in class to check if the teacher was doing his/her job properly
In my opinion they are very useful during your first teaching months in China, until you'd catch up some Chinese (read, write, together, draw, break, toilet, rubber,pencil) And they are essential if you work with very young kids (3-6). But even those tiny people after 2 months are getting used to you and your teaching methods, so you don't really need them.
On the other hand at the school I've worked at they always checked written homework and helped to control tiny ones.
However after 2 months of real experience in China in 90% I didn't need them, there were 10% when I wished TA was with me - fights in class, hyperactive toddlers, when you are sick and lose you voice...
That's a good question. I would say that it depends on your capacity to handle the kids (the naughty ones in particular) and how good is your Chinese.
When I was teaching, I had a TA during the first months then I told the school I didn't need one during the class and that the TA could focus on communicating with the parents.
It worked very well for me all those years. (even if I'm not teaching anymore)
