Ariadne Frisby

As a language assistant I have two main roles in the classroom. In the art courses I help the teacher create and prepare projects for the students. In these classes I mostly assist with classroom management and inspiring the students creativity. My role in the English classes however is far more involved. On an average day I work with the students in small groups outside the classroom. Usually I take a pair or a group of 3 to take a closer look at the material they are covering in class. We spend 10-15 minutes reviewing an activity from their book or creating a new activity from the material. For example, when the 4th grade was working on relative clauses, we made a game out of it! The students had to ask each other questions using a relative clause such as: "The place where you go skiing" Answer: The mountains. I think these individual sessions are important for the student's progress. The english levels of the students vary throughout the grade. In my experience this has resulted in classes where the more advanced students take the spotlight and the beginner students are left behind. These individual sessions allow for every student to get the attention they need. I think this is the most important aspect of my role as an LA. The teachers are often swamped with all of their classes and grading that students who may require more focused attention could get neglected. Having a second teacher in the classroom allows for those students to work closely with a native english speaker and catch up to the other students.