University Academy has brought back a teacher’s aide program, which lends a helping hand for teachers and students alike.
Upperclassmen who serve as TAs help teachers in grades K-4 during the Upper School’s first, second, third and seventh hour time slots. There are 10 seniors and one junior in the program who are helping 11 different teachers. The TAs do many things including helping students read, write and practice work, assisting the teachers with projects, running errands for the teachers and being an extra set of eyes in the classroom.
Senior Akyra Hearron serves as a TA supporting kindergarten teacher Mrs. Katherine Tully. Hearron helps Mrs. Tully for her second hour class.
Hearron said being a TA is all about helping teachers out. She assists Mrs. Tully by aiding her students with phonics in small groups. In the groups, she works with the students on letter sounds, word matching and sight words. She also helps students practice different ways to read and write words.
Hearron said she was selected to be a part of the TA program, but being chosen is not the only way to join the program. Current sophomores and juniors may be able to volunteer for it in the future
Ms. Danielle Blackstock, UA’s K-2 principal and the point person for the teacher’s aide program, said, “We need more TAs. Lots of teachers want to be a part of the program.”
For high school students who enjoy helping teachers out, this might be a great way to get involved with the Lower School and experience more of what it’s like to be an elementary teacher.
But before just jumping in, know that it can be challenging.
Hearron said the most difficult part when she was first getting used to being a TA was thinking about things from a different perspective. She had to consider things from the point of view of the younger students and think about how they might view her.
“It’s just a random teenager telling them what to do,” Hearron said.
But after slowly easing into it, she got used to her TA role and has learned from it.
Hearron said, “Being a TA has taught me how to talk to younger children and just get an insight on how they learn.”
Ms. Blackstock originally had the idea of starting a TA program because she was a TA in high school, and she said it helped her decide that she wanted to become a teacher.
She said it’s not only about helping teachers, but it’s helping the students, too.
“Teachers get an extra person to help them with small projects or work with students, while students get to have a role model or someone closer to their age to work with,” Ms. Blackstock said.
Many teachers love this program and have found it to have been a big help, Ms. Blackstock said. She is hoping even more Upper School students get involved with the program in the future.
With UA being a K-12 school, the teacher’s aide program seems like a great way for students and teachers of different grade levels to work together for the benefit of all.
