REAL LIFE: A day in the life of a Teacher Assistant.

Having recently seen some negativity from parents of children in my class, I decided that they should understand exactly what I do in a day so that they can appreciate some of what I do for their kids.

What it's like to be me:

Morning:
My day starts at 7:50am. I get to the school office and help answer queries from all parents. At 8am it's breakfast club and I let the children in and ensure they all go to the right place. Once I have done that I go and get my milk and snacks from my class. I take that to my class and put my coat and bag away.

At 8:30 I go down to the room that I teach phonics in and put all my resources and their books in there. I then head back up to my classroom and within 5 minutes the children start entering the school ready for the day.
I have 10 minutes where I can read with children which in reality is a lot harder than it sounds. They have to get their book from the busy cloakroom and I have children constantly asking for my help or telling what they did the night before. When I finally sit down with the child I am reading with I have about 5 minutes.
We then take the register and at 9am it's off to Phonics. I teach that for 30 minutes and when we get back it's straight into maths.

We have different ability groups and I sit with a group of children who just need a slight push of encouragement to fulfil the tasks and gain understanding of the lesson. Whilst sitting with these children I also help any other child that comes up to me and have to explain the maths question multiple times to different children and in different ways as they all learn differently.

We then get a 15 minute break. Three times a week I am on break duty and supervise the children outside. When we come back I take my break- although more often than not I stay in the classroom to focus on learning. Our next lesson is Literacy. Again, as with maths, I will support the children with their understanding of the tasks and if there is group work then I work with some of the children that need more help than others.

Afternoon:
I then leave at 11:15 for my midday assistant role. One role just isn't enough! ;)  I set up the hall ready for lunchtime and depending on where I am on the rota I supervise the children in the hall, ensure they have eaten enough and that they are drinking plenty. I then move outside and supervise them playing and deal with any incidents should they arise.

After the children's lunch, I have 20 minutes to have mine. Sometimes I cut this short as my teacher is alone and we have P.E one afternoon a week.
When I return I familiarise myself with the lesson I have just walked in on and assist all the children.

We usually have an assembly at 2:40pm so we get all the children ready, looking presentable and go across the school to the hall. The assembly lasts until 3pm and when we get back we have 15 minutes until home time. In this time the teacher and I ensure all the children have their belongings, any letters to parents and/or homework depending what day it is.

As if that wasn't enough to do in one day I still have my jobs to do and look after a child with ADHD who insists on running around the school and outside on the playground.

It's not always easy and sometimes I don't get to complete my jobs - like changing the children's reading books or printing off resources.

It is a tough but rewarding job and it can be frustrating when parents are constantly slating you and saying you're not doing enough. Every parent will always believe that their child is a priority and forget that there are 30 children in a class with a range of learning abilities.

Sometimes it would be nice to have a 'thank you' or a little appreciation for all the hard work I do!

Until next time, xo.

FITNESS: Home workout equipment

Working out at home

You don't need a gym membership or personal trainer with you 24/7 to keep fit. 
All you need is space in the house and the motivation to work out and ensure you are doing 30 minutes activity, 5 times a week. 

I prefer to work out in the mornings because that's when I have the most energy and the most motivation to go and sweat! It also puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day and I feel more inclined to eat clean instead of slobbing in front of the sofa.

If I am unable to get down the gym, I try and put together a home workout that is fun but effective. Over the years I have bought myself workout equipment so that I no longer have an excuse to not be active. 

My hula hoop is definitely my favourite purchase! I feel like a belly dancer when I am trying to keep the hoop up and not let it touch the floor! I try to challenge myself to see how long I can keep going without dropping it or adjusting; so far I have managed 3 minutes 24 seconds. This can get tiring after a while but you can mix it up with other exercises. 

I recently purchased these resistance bands which are great for various exercises. I bought them to help tone my legs and glutes! Every girl wants a Kim K bum, right? #bootygoals 
You get 3 in a pack with different resistance levels so you can work your way up to the toughest band. You can also tone your arms with these bands as well as using them to enhance your yoga or pilates workouts. 

Another similar piece of equipment is the Pilates figure 8 expander. It is a resistance band but mainly for upper body. It is great to tone your arms and also your back! 

A skipping rope is a simple, inexpensive but highly effective item. It is great for a home cardio session and it you can feel it working quite quickly. You can also do interval training with it. It is so versatile. 

Dumbells are great for weight training and toning up. As well as toning up your arms you can tone up your chest, back and abs! You don't need to use both at the same time either. My dumbells are 3kg which is heavy but a good weight for me to use as I can still control my exercises. When using weights on a regular basis it is a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hand from calluses. I have these pink gloves from Nike.

Kettle bells are also useful in addition or instead of dumbells. I use my kettebells for various exercises but mainly squats. I have two kettle bells - one is 2kg and the other is 4kg. I have two different weights so that I can mix it up and really work myself out. As I get stronger and more toned I will eventually up the weight. 

You don't need to buy any equipment from brand new. Try facebook selling pages, gumtree, eBay or even asking friends and family if they have any equipment that they no longer need.


I hope that this has helped a few of you! 
Yes, I like the colour pink! A lot of my equipment and my workout outfits are pink. 

Until next time, xo.


**Disclaimer: All these products were bought by me. This is not a sponsored post.**