Eye of the Editors: TA’s Perks

Roaming in the hallway during class hours, walking in late after the tardy bell has rung, lingering in other teachers’ classrooms while class is still in session are clearly unacceptable behaviors for most students—unless they pull out the TA card, that is.

Interestingly, over the years, being a TA has given students special exemption from normal student consequences. Though this indeed does not apply to all teachers’ aides on campus, a handful of students have been witnessed using their roles as TAs abusively.

There is no doubt that the teacher’s aide system is a beneficial one; Diamond Bar High School could not function without it. Each teacher presides over anywhere from 20 to close to 40 students, and on top of teaching lessons, assigning classwork, and correcting tests, teachers have the onerous task of controlling a class full of rowdy teenagers. Often, teachers have as much homework as students to take home, if not more, eating into their personal time to be with family or friends. So indeed, their burdens are significantly alleviated when one or more TAs help knock a few things off of a teacher’s infinite list of to-dos.

Yes, TAs may be teachers’ heroes, but this cannot justify every action that they seem to be able to get away from. Taking much longer than necessary while running errands or going to the restroom, stopping to chat with a couple buddies in the hallway, appearing in random teachers’ classrooms should not simply be dismissed because so-and-so is a “TA.”

The TA period is equivalent to an elective; some students sign up for it at the beginning of the year, but in most cases, it is an alternative to a dropped AP or honors class. Because most academic and some elective courses move at rapid paces, and thus are hard to join after the first few weeks of school, the common option for a student in need of a new class is simply becoming a TA. This prevents students from taking an unwanted course, which would strain both the teacher and the student, and also keeps the students on campus if the dropped class isn’t a first or last period.

Having numerous TAs is fine, but when there are no definite regulations to the system, it creates much confusion and irritation. Currently, DBHS does not have a clear method of assigning TAs. A GLC may recommend a student to a teacher in need, but usually a student ends up aiding a teacher of their own choice as long as they obtain permission from the teacher. If a teacher is lenient enough, they will allow two or three friends in need of a home to reside in their room, as there are no limits to the number of TAs a teacher can have. This often leads to TAs napping, doing homework, or fooling around in the corner of the room. If they become disturbing to the class, most teachers may only ask them kindly to leave the class to run errands, which results in multiple students lounging about in the hallway.

Which brings up another issue: roaming students. TAs that are carrying out a teacher’s request, especially during the 6th period, end up spending a little more time in the hallway than needed. These students easily get mixed up with those who get out early during the 4th or 5th period and create confusion for many, especially the security guards who are trying to keep outsiders off school grounds. Another concern is that during emergency lockdowns, teachers will have difficulty tracking down their TAs’ whereabouts amidst considerable chaos. With 30 of their own students to look after, teachers cannot ensure their TAs are in a safe place if TAs are never within the teachers’ sight.

Lastly, for a school that highly emphasizes using every minute of every day in the classroom effectively, the TA period refutes that goal. Some students are allowed to take the TA class on top of an elective and a sport. Fitting merely two or three academic classes in a full day schedule is wasting a student’s time to be educated. It is important to give students the ability to make their own decisions regarding their schedules, but the school should foster learning instead of carelessly tossing away valuable time.

DBHS must place stricter regulations on TAs to improve the safety, quality, and prospect of the school and its students.