Have you ever noticed how teachers grade so fast or why they take so long to do so? Some teachers have the advantage of a helper otherwise known as a teacher’s aide. As upperclassmen, the opportunity to be an office or teacher aide arises. Senior Grace Lewis snagged this opportunity with math teacher Tyler Randall.
“We had a good rapport from years past, and that’s why I asked her to be a teacher aide,” Randall said. “We get along with each other, we know each other and we’re able to talk and interact.”
Lewis agrees they are a good pair.
“I would say we’re friends,” Lewis said. “I like talking to him, so teacher aiding for him is easy.”
A big limiting factor in a teacher’s success is time. Randall said having a teacher aide can help with the tasks that take so much time outside of the school day. Most of Lewis’ tasks are busywork, but it’s busywork that is relieved from Randall, which leaves him more time to teach or prepare lessons.
“She’ll help me organize stuff alphabetically, pass things back, cut things out, laminate and staple things,” Randall said. “Pretty much any task that requires a lot of time that you could do sitting in front of a TV, she helps me get done during the school day.”
Lewis enjoys these tasks and has found her groove.
“I add all the points up on tests and give them a percentage,” Lewis said. “I like stapling the papers together. It’s easy, and I can do it really fast.”
They both receive mutual benefits from this arrangement as well.
“It’s really fun — it’s a nice break in my day where I don’t have to do anything,” Lewis said. “I don’t worry about other work.”
“The thing I like most is I’m able to help her, and she’s able to help me.” Randall said. “She has access during work time where I can help answer math questions for her, but she also helps me out with tasks that just require time.”
Along with the satisfaction of a completed to-do list is a sense of gratitude for Lewis.
“It’s helped me learn how much work teachers put into their assignments and to be more grateful for all the work teachers put into making [learning] happen,” Lewis said.
