Assistants are increasingly independent in front of the classroom
A teaching assistant who independently runs a group. Due to the teacher shortage, this is happening more often and for longer.
Image: Pixabay
If the need arises, it should be possible, de AOb. But then under the guidance of an experienced teacher and as a temporary solution. The latter seems to be less and less the case.
On the AOb-Facebook page informs supporter Hennie * that she is responsible for a group in special education two days a week throughout the year. At Sandy * 's school, a support worker runs a kindergarten group four days a week. At the same school, a teaching assistant gives structural lessons to group 4 on Wednesdays and a teacher training student takes care of group 8 one day a week.
No people
The situation appears to be most prevalent in special education schools, or other schools with a more challenging student population. Angelique * works in a closed institution where more support staff than authorized staff now teach. “There are no people among the PABO graduates who are willing and able to work under these conditions.” Miss Ruby * from special primary education: "At least half of the group teachers at my school are unauthorized." Callie *, who also works in special education: "We have had classroom assistants and even care assistants in front of the classroom for years when there are not enough replacements.
Structurally
As an incidental solution, to prevent classes from being sent home, it should be possible, says Eugenie Stolk of the AOb. But when it becomes structural, you are failing children. "We have agreed that our children will be taught by a teacher who has followed training at a pedagogical academy." On the website of the Education Inspectorate literally states that a teaching assistant may not teach independently.
Stolk would like to emphasize that it is not about the individual. "That one teaching assistant is probably doing a great job, but overall this is undesirable." In addition, Stolk explains, the teaching assistant's work is not done when he or she fulfills the role of teacher. "Then there are fewer hands in the classroom and the workload increases."
Vulnerable
It is precisely the most vulnerable children who need more guidance that seem to be affected and that is bittersweet, says Stolk. “Schools are making ends meet to keep someone for that class.” The situation - assistant for the group - also occurs in secondary education and MBO.
De AOb calls on members who are supporters or assistants but have been doing the work of a teacher for a long time to register with the union. Eugenie: “In principle, someone should be paid for the work they do. But it is a close job, because it must be a structural situation and so-called 'assigned work'. ”
Objection
In recent years, teaching assistants occasionally tried to enforce a salary that better suited their work. And with success. Usually these are support staff who are paid in scale 4, but because of the work they do actually belong in scale 7 (teacher support worker).
Three examples of successful objections:
- 2010: One group of teaching assistants in special education has been doing not only caring, but also pedagogical-didactic work for some time now. The Disputes Committee concludes that they should not be in scale 4 but in scale 7.
- 2012: A teaching assistant is transferred from primary to special education. There he gives, among other things independent math lesson. The Disputes Committee says: This work should be in scale 7 and not in scale 4.
- 2018: A teaching assistant at a VMBO school also works as dean and internship coordinator. Scale 6 is then not sufficient, the Disputes Committee finds. The school must make a new description for its position and associate it with a higher salary scale.
(* full names are known to the editors)
De AOb has a group for educational support staff. Do you want to stand up for the position of yourself and colleagues? Then sign up for the group oop within the AOb.
Finally work
The Education Magazine of September 2018 writes about how there is finally work for recently graduated assistants. In this article, an assistant indicates that she already taught the class independently during her internship. Read the whole article:
