PO

Teaching assistants fill in the gaps

Teaching assistants are increasingly being asked in the vacancy text whether they can take over groups. “We only do this in an emergency,” said the schools. In practice, 'need' appears to be a flexible concept.

Tekst Joëlle Poortvliet - redactie Onderwijsblad - - 6 Minuten om te lezen

nanne pitfall

Picture: Nanne Meulendijks

Just search on Meesterbaan or Linkedin and you'll find them in no time. Vacancies that show that the teaching assistant is in front of the class. "You are willing to take on teaching duties," the text states. Or: 'Take over the group if necessary'. At the top of the to-do list for a future teaching assistant at a secondary school in Breda is: 'Capturing lessons'. An employment agency is looking on Linkedin for an assistant who will initially do support work, but also 'run classes independently or, if the teacher is not there, all day long. How cool is that!'

The Wantijschool in Dordrecht writes in its vacancy for a teaching assistant: 'You are able to temporarily take over a group under the responsibility of a qualified teacher'. The school does not want to answer questions, but will respond in writing. “In these times of teacher shortage and understaffing, we are looking - within the legal framework - for solutions to guarantee the continuity of education in a group as much as possible. The use of a teaching assistant under the responsibility of a qualified teacher is one of those options. We only do this in case of emergency and it has no structural character.”

Every teaching assistant enjoys being asked to teach

Two schools that are willing to talk about their search for an assistant who can teach the class state that this will only happen if the authorized teacher is also present in the building. They are not concerned with replacing illness, but with reducing the workload for teachers. Or for help with unit education. The teaching assistant would then man the group for half an hour to a maximum of half a day.

Nothing extra

“Every teaching assistant likes to be asked to teach. After all, it is the confidence that is expressed in you.” In 2020, teaching assistant Denise Gaillard was in front of the class one day a week for six months. The permanent teacher was operated on. “We discussed it and I was eager to do it.” She does not replace a sick colleague for a few days. “That happens at other schools within my foundation.”

She understands like no other the choice of fellow assistants who also take on short replacement jobs. “If you indicate in the WhatsApp group that you want to receive the group of a sick colleague teacher, you will immediately receive ten messages back: 'Oh, how nice that you want to do it!' "The kids all know you." 'Fantastic!' At the same time, you are perpetuating the shortage of teachers. That's what I'm against.”

Some teaching assistants receive a dinner voucher. Others don't get anything extra, but just have to do it

Gaillard especially notices that things are different everywhere. Both in how often the assistant goes for the class, and in how it is organized and rewarded. “My director couldn't scale me differently for that one day of the week. She asked: Would you like a voucher from bol.com? Some teaching assistants receive a dinner voucher. Others don't get anything extra, they just have to do it.”

shadowy

In the vacancy texts it is often stated that the work takes place under the responsibility of a qualified teacher. According to Gaillard, this is usually a paper reality. “It results in shady agreements. I ran that group independently, but imagine: a child falls from a climbing frame, for example. Then my colleague is responsible? That is of course strange.”

In this way, assistants and support staff unintentionally mask the teacher shortage

On behalf of the AOb Rosalinde Stins stands up for assistants and supporters in education. She is annoyed by the vacancies. Stins himself works as a teacher assistant. “Assistants and support staff unintentionally mask the teacher shortage in this way. Out of loyalty and out of the best intentions, but it's not right. And it's not going to help anyone in the long run either. Teaching is not part of the assistant's duties. We are not trained for that and certainly not paid for it.” According to Stins, politicians should realize what is going on here and 'finally' start monitoring and tackling the teacher shortage.

Unauthorized for the class

Under pressure from the teacher shortage, Education Minister Arie Slob opened the door in October 2018 to unauthorized persons in the classroom. Since then, a teaching assistant or supporter has been allowed to take over a group 'temporarily' and in 'extreme emergency', the minister wrote in a guide. Provided sending a class home is the only other option. And always under the responsibility of a qualified teacher. Only how 'temporary' and 'extreme emergency' is the situation when this teaching increasingly ends up in the vacancies for teaching assistants? The spokesperson for now outgoing minister Slob says that 'vacancy texts are the responsibility of the school boards'. And that 'the teacher is always ultimately responsible for education'.
The Education Inspectorate says it will not conduct a national survey into the work of teaching assistants. The Inspectorate does occasionally receive signals from parents who feel that assistants are being deployed at their child's school 'in a way that, in the parents' opinion, is not appropriate for the role and task of teaching assistants', according to the inspectorate's spokesperson.
It recently reported Primary education labor market platform that 57 percent of teaching assistants and teacher assistants indicate that they perform activities that do not belong on their plate. Including replacing sick teachers. This is happening more often due to the corona pandemic and the teacher shortage, according to the platform. Striking: in the same survey, according to the employers, only 18 percent of the assistants and support staff perform tasks outside their job profile.

Great

The link between the teacher shortage and the deployment of assistants is very clear in some vacancy texts. We will ensure 'that no class is sent home anymore' is the reading in the appeal of Dit is Wijs for teaching assistants in The Hague. Dit is Wijs is one of the larger employment agencies for primary education staff. For Almere and the surrounding area, the bureau is looking for teaching assistants who can give classes 'a great day' when the teacher is ill.

When asked, Dit is Wijs director Wim Bubberman admits that teachers are usually ill for longer than a day. “I don't know the job descriptions by heart.” When asked why the company is recruiting assistants to replace teachers, Bubberman answers: “We say we have a solution for everything: no more class going home. This means that you cannot always meet the demand with teachers who have completed the PABO. They are not that easy to find. And when they come to work for us, we prefer to hire them and use them for the more lengthy jobs.”

May is a broad concept

But it really shouldn't, right? Classroom assistants? Bubberman: “May is a broad concept. In principle, teaching assistants are not allowed to teach independently. Can they replace a teacher if they are sick for two, three or four days? Yes of course. One teaching assistant is not the other. We also select on that. Some of them can absolutely do it, we will continue them.”

Also read: 'Number of support staff at primary schools is growing rapidly'

This page was translated automatically, if you see strange translations please let us know