Many people don't understand the importance of having teaching assistants in a children's classroom. Regardless of the children's age or learning capabilities, there are always going to be students who need help and would benefit from that extra care and attention; something that a teacher cannot possibly do alone when they have 29 or more students to supervise. It's because of constant cutbacks at schools that teaching assistants can be scarce, which ultimately puts extra pressure on the classroom teacher and more students aren't getting the help that they require. This doesn't even include students who need extra help because of a disability or a learning difficulty and, in some cases, the teacher isn't qualified to know how to best educate and comfort that child. It isn't fair on the child in question, their students and their teacher to not have someone to help out with their education. But in some cases, it isn't just their education that needs extra attention, it's their physical needs like physiotherapy which they have to do three times a day as well as the difficulty that they face of even physically getting into class. So what will happen when all of the teaching assistants are made redundant? Will the teacher be able to take on a bigger workload than they have already, and compensated financially for staying later than they do already? But let's face it though, as a kid, you always loved group work with the teaching assistant because they were definitely your favourite; a lot more fun and friendly. Probably because their teacher is crying into their cereal every morning for being overworked, under-appreciated and underpaid. But as a teaching assistant, aren't you in the same boat?
