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.
