Columnist, Katrina Mallon, Destined for Greatness NI has over 20 years’ experience in Behaviour Support Services, Katrina is passionate about helping children thrive. She now works closely with parents and schools to support children’s social, emotional, and behavioural wellbeing.
Having spent this academic year providing training to countless teaching assistants, I am continually reminded of the vital role you play in children and young people’s lives. Teaching assistants are truly the heartbeat of our schools. Your dedication, expertise, and care ensure that every child is supported, included, and able to thrive.
From helping with learning and routines to offering emotional guidance, you make a profound difference every day. Often working behind the scenes, your impact is felt by children, teachers, and families alike. It is essential that your work is understood, valued, celebrated, and recognised by school leadership, colleagues, and parents, because the role you play in shaping young lives is both essential and enduring.
You’re Not ‘Just’ a Teaching assistant – You’re a Key Adult
You are not “just” a Teaching assistant. You are a key adult in a child’s life, a trusted presence, a guide, a safety net, and a champion. Every day, your work shapes how children see themselves, their school, and the adults around them.
You are often the first to notice when a child is struggling, the one to offer reassurance, or the calm presence that prevents a small wobble from becoming a bigger setback.
Your role goes far beyond supporting classroom tasks. You work closely with the Team Around the Child to:
- Understand each child’s strengths, difficulties, and profile of need.
- Contribute to planning, assessing, recording, and monitoring learning and development.
- Lead the delivery of planned, targeted support and interventions.
- Advocate for children, ensuring their needs are understood and their voices are heard.
This proactive approach helps children not only access learning but thrive emotionally and socially, building resilience, self esteem, and a sense of belonging.
Supporting Children to Feel Safe, Seen, and Valued
Teaching assistants are often the “safe adult” a child sees most closely. Your calm, consistent presence provides a sense of security in an unpredictable day. You create environments where children feel:
Safe: Clear boundaries and reliability provide stability.
Seen: Their individuality is recognised and celebrated.
Heard: Their experiences are validated.
Valued: Their contributions, ideas, and feelings matter.
By maintaining calm and consistency while showing warmth and connection, you embody the principle of “connection before correction.” Children are more likely to regulate their emotions, engage in learning,
and build healthy relationships when they know a trusted adult is there for them.
Practical Ways Teaching assistants Make a Difference
Your work is varied, vital, and far reaching. Some of the ways you support children include:
Modelling positive behaviours and offering opportunities to practise them.
Implementing strategies to support sensory and emotional regulation.
Helping children build confidence, resilience, and self-esteem.
Acting as a “safety net” when behaviour wobbles, supporting repair and reflection.
Maintaining routines, transitions, and day-to-day stability.
Scaffolding learning, building on interests, and supporting holistic development.
Establishing trusting relationships with children, their families, and other adults.
Each small action contributes to a foundation on which children can grow, learn, and thrive.
The Power of Being a Key Adult
Psychologist Julius Segal in his work on resilience and overcoming adversity wrote, “One factor turns out to be the presence in their lives of a charismatic adult, a person from whom they gather strength.” Think of an adult who had a positive, lasting impact on you growing up. Who were they? What kind of person were they? What
words would you use to describe them?
This is the essence of your role. By showing up consistently, offering support, and modelling positive behaviours, you become that adult for children. Your influence shapes not just lessons and learning, but their confidence, sense of self, and ability to form healthy relationships.
Reflective Questions for Practitioners
Regular reflection helps you continue to grow in this vital role:
What does “showing up” mean to me personally, beyond just being physically present?
- How do I want children to feel when they see me each day, and what do I do to create that feeling?
- What energy do I bring into the classroom, and how might it affect children and colleagues?
- How do I build trust with children, especially those harder to reach?
- What small, consistent actions show children I care about them as individuals?
- How do I recognise little wins while celebrating progress and success?
- When I’m having a tough day, how do I manage my emotions to remain fully present?
- What motivates me to keep going on the tough days?
Every Interaction Matters
Every word, gesture, and action has meaning. The patient explanations, encouragement, and calm presence – especially during challenging moments – are where children gather strength and develop resilience.
You are not “just” a teaching assistant. You are a difference-maker, a role model, and a vital adult in the lives of the children you support. Your work deserves recognition, celebration, and heartfelt appreciation, because schools truly could not function without you.
