Bad Behavior
A student is on his phone at the beginning of class.
Tell him to put his phone in his cubbie/phone box until the end of class.
You are working at the front desk of the school and get a phone call.
Answer with the appropriate greeting, "Hi, ___ Elementary School, TA speaking..."
A very important thing to do at any job when you do not have very clear instructions.
Ask what you are supposed to be doing.
A student is talking in class when the teacher is trying to explain a lesson.
Ask the whole class to focus and pay attention.
You are working at the front desk of the school and a visitor walks in.
Have them sign in at the front desk.
Another very important thing to do when you are not sure what to do but cannot ask.
Make yourself busy by doing something.
There is a student in your class that always has her head on her desk. She does not pay attention or do much work at all.
Talk to her to try to figure out what is going on and ask what you can do to help. Try to help her with her work. Be patient and understanding.
A student keeps talking in class after you tell her to quiet down and pay attention.
Do not call her out by name, but remind the whole class or that area of the classroom to quiet down again.
You are working at the front desk of the school and a parent calls very upset about someone in the administration.
Deescalate, empathize, validate, and show understanding of their situation before trying to trying to address their needs or concerns.
Your teacher tells the students to work independently for the rest of class but does not give you clear instructions.
You are teaching a lesson and one student is taking much longer to learn the concept than his peers. He is unable to complete the worksheet you assigned while his classmates can do so with minimal support from you or the teacher.
Keep the other students occupied with more tasks and practice while you work with the student individually to help them. Communicate with the main teacher.
You are grading papers for a class and have a very strong suspicion that some students were cheating off one-another’s homework.
Tell the teacher and show them the suspicious answers.
A student cusses you out when you ask him to clean up his desk.
Send the student to the office.
Your teacher leaves in the middle of a lesson.
You have a student that only speaks a language that neither you or the teacher speak.
Try to use visual aids, be patient, understanding, and supportive. Don't leave them behind.
Two students get into a fight during recess and throw hands after one accuses the other of cheating at a game.
Separate them, deescalate the situation, and take them to the office.
The teacher in your classroom has an emergency and has to leave without advanced notice or lesson plans for you to use.
Try to come up with something based on the previous day's lessons (ex. continuing to practice multiplication). Worst case scenario - play a Kahoot or another education game.
You have a student who has a disability that makes it difficult for them to speak. How do you approach working with this student in a classroom to make sure you are meeting their educational needs?
Use visual aids and materials that allow you to communicate with one another. Be patient and empathetic.