THOSE “PROFESSIONAL” TEACHER ASSISTANTS
Boy, we have certainly downgraded the meaning of the word “professional.”
Public underestimates teacher assistants
I could not let the Aug. 16 Forum response by Charles Hill (“Teachers, detention, sports all in equation”) go unanswered without setting him straight, even if he was “just kidding.”
I cannot allow him to continue to perpetuate the myth that teacher assistants merely pass out drawing paper and crayons. We are professionals. We all have at least a two-year college degree and many have a four-year degree. We work with small groups in the classroom for both math and literacy. Teacher assistants run computer labs and are even Web masters for school Web sites. We are trained to screen hearing and vision problems for referral to the school nurse. We take loving care of special-needs children.
Oh, by the way, we also transport your children safely from home to school and back by driving the school bus. I could go on and on, Mr. Hill, but please come see for yourself and volunteer in our schools. With all the budget cuts, we will certainly need someone to pass out drawing paper and crayons.
Erika Brand, vice president, Cumberland County Schools Association of Teacher Assistants
Fayetteville