What Is a Classroom Assistant?
A classroom assistant is some who is hired to primarily help a teacher with classroom organization and to ensure that all students are focused on the material being presented. They are looked to oversee the actions of the students, allowing the teachers to completely focus on delivering education to students to the best of his or her ability.
Beyond instruction, and supervision, some classroom assistants can be asked to grade tests or quizzes, check to see if all children completed their assigned homework, and keep track of the classes’ attendance records. Any further tedious work such as filing or photocopying pages is the task of a classroom assistant.
There are also classroom assistants who actually spend very little time inside of the classroom, and instead be asked to control the lunchroom and playgrounds, making sure no child is acting our aggressively or is behaving in any manner other than acceptable. However, the primary role of all classroom assistants is to aid those students in need, those who did not understand the information presented to them the first time around.
How to Become a Classroom Assistant
The requirements for a classroom assistant are not clear cut, as every state and school distract have their own rules and guidelines when it comes to employing an assistant. However, all employers are looking for assistants who have previous classroom experience, or at least a resume that includes some interaction in childcare.
Classroom assistants really become a necessary component when a classroom grows to size that is beyond manageable for just one teacher. The classroom assistant is then brought in a looked to for keeping order, and not let nay one student take over and distract the rest of the students who are focused on the teacher’s lesson.
There is at least some on-the-job training for classroom assistants as they need to quickly become familiar with the daily operations and rules of the school system they are working in. An assistant cannot help out a student in understanding a method used by a teacher unless the assistant themselves first grabs the concept.
Classroom Assistant Career Outlook & Salary
According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, educational assistants held about 1.3 million jobs. Of that number, a heavy percentage also works under the title of classroom assistant. Because of a high turnover and an above average projected employment growth, there should be multiple job opportunities for classroom assistants within the United States.
Between the years of 2008 to 2018, employment for classroom assistants is projected to grow by 10% – this very close to the average of all other careers. Further expansion is credited to the enrollment increase in all schools – i.e. more kids equal more of a need for an assistant.
Average annual wages of classroom assistants in May 2008 were $22,200. The lowest 10% earned less than $15,340, while the highest 10% earned more than $33,980. This salary can depend upon your experience and training, the part of the country you are in, and the economic situation of the institution you are employed by.
