Back to school as a teacher’s aide

Danette Goulet

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Daily Pilot education reporter Danette Goulet got in

the back-to-school spirit by spending Wednesday -- the second day of the

school year -- as a teacher’s aide in Marilyn Wright’s fourth-grade class

at Victoria Elementary School in Costa Mesa.

You may be one of those parents who has time to be a teacher’s aide in

your child’s classroom. But if you’re not and the idea intrigues you,

here is what you’re missing:

7:50 a.m. -- Children begin arriving at school. They chat with their

friends and play on the playground while I make my way through a sea of

minivans and SUVs to find a parking spot and chug the remains of my

coffee.

8 a.m. -- Flag deck, with Pledge of Allegiance and greeting by

principal Judy Laakso.

8:12 a.m. -- First bell rings. Children line up by classroom, where

they are greeted by their teacher and walked to Room 2.

Students sit down and prepare for the day, placing their homework on

the corners of their desks and getting started on their daily language

assignments.

I receive my teacher’s aide chore list and, because it is my first

day, Mrs. Wright helps me to gather the supplies that I will need.

8:15 a.m. -- While the students find mistakes in sentences and list

synonyms for words, I begin my clerical duties by taping student work

charts onto laminated folders.

It may sound like I have the easier job, but it isn’t as easy as you

think to get those charts on straight without them bubbling up. I am also

entrusted with an X-Acto knife to cut the laminated folders open -- a

very proud moment for me.

8:35 a.m. -- The class begins to correct the language sheets together

on the overhead projector.

I run out of tape and start making the little label tabs with

students’ names. Then I begin the arduous task of inserting them into the

tiny plastic sleeves for hanging folders.

Momentarily distracted upon hearing “unyoung” and “nonyoung” offered

as synonyms for old, I ruin a couple tabs by spelling names incorrectly.

9:05 a.m. -- Mrs. Wright begins to tell students about class rules,

and ongoing games and contests in the classroom.

I determine that it’s easier to write all the names on the tabs while

it’s one big sheet and then tear them apart.

9:25 a.m. -- The students all stand up and stretch and sing a couple

fun songs.

I wish I could sing.

9:35 a.m. -- Children split up into groups to make posters of the

class rules. Mrs. Wright tells them that “Everybody should get their way

at some time and no one should get their way every time. In other words:

cooperate.”

I go find more tape so that I can take a break from writing names over

and over on tiny tabs. I also can’t resist walking around to look at the

posters and talk with the children.

10 a.m. -- The class begins a math assessment work sheet that will

gauge what they remember from last year and what needs to be reviewed.

Mrs. Wright announces that they should raise their hands if they have

a question, and she or Ms. Goulet will come around and help them.

Uh-oh. What is fourth-grade math? Will I, the mathematically

challenged, be able to answer their questions? Phew, it’s rounding

numbers and other stuff I can do.

10:30 a.m. -- The children go to recess.

I eat a cookie in the teacher’s lounge.

10:40 a.m. -- Students return to finish up their math assessment.

I finish taping and cutting the students’ work folders and write and

organize a third set of folder tabs.

11:05 a.m. -- It’s time for a science lesson. Mrs. Wright explains the

scientific method. She asks students to hypothesize how many pennies can

be loaded onto kid-crafted aluminum foil boats before the vessels sink. I

fill pie plates with water while Mrs. Wright hands out pennies.

Time for phase two: experimentation. In no time at all, the sidewalk

outside the classroom is covered with water, pennies and aluminum foil.

I’m going from group to group, offering boat-rebuilding suggestions and

acting properly impressed with how many pennies each boat holds.

11:45 a.m. -- Students record their observations and draw some

conclusions.

12 noon -- We know it’s getting near the end of the day because Mrs.

Wright starts to hand out homework assignments.

I half-think I may get one.

Attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter. But that’s OK,

because it’s time for ...

12:25 p.m. -- Lunch.

12:55 p.m. -- For students, it’s early dismissal on Wednesdays. For

me, it’s time to go to work.

I think I want to be a teacher’s aide when I grow up.