TA Comments, Questions and Concerns by Mike https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1 Please use this padlet to voice your comments, questions or concerns about the role and execution of TA in our school this year. en-us 2021-09-24 15:21:18 UTC 2021-10-04 00:01:02 UTC hello@padlet.com I think we can move away from TA interviews again this year as they are in scheduled classes and not in self-directed mode - subject teachers contact parents of students at risk. https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1766666475
The schedule this year is overwhelming when you don’t have prep time in the week - adding more units to mark for an even larger than usual TA unit just further burdens the staff - could we go back to levelled assignments and maybe do self-assessment checks or group work projects for marks for the report cards? 

TA LOVED just being together this week - they were chatting away and trying to draw in the shy grade 9’s - maybe they need this as more of a mental health break / time to just reconnect with each other? ]]> 2021-09-24 22:42:48 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1766666475 A TA re-awakening where we gather for the purpose of building relationships and establishing connections would be incredibly beneficial. Mental health, wellness and community are all topics/facets that we can discuss during our time together. Even a few moments of fun can be healing. arturim https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1767647201 2021-09-25 18:20:18 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1767647201 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1769007443 - No TA interview necessary due to the structure of scheduled classes this year.
- Levelling all GLS units as teachers' marking load is already phenomenal with class size of 34 (hard cap) in every class.
- GLS unit package: teachers don't really have time to "prep" for the lesson.  They may just have a minute before class to glance at the unit.  Perhaps design them to be more student self-directed, with self-assessment rubric provided.
- For long-term planning, I think TA should continue as NON-CREDIT.  TAs can meet regularly (but not every week) to be with each other (hang out, chit-chat), thus taking care of the mental health piece that is in short supply.  Teachers can't really take care of the kids' mental health too well while imposing units on the kids.  ]]> 2021-09-26 17:52:02 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1769007443 colemaa https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1769549668 This idea of "TA fam" that once existed seems to have faded significantly over the last ~18 months (at least in my TA). I will be focusing on getting that back, but would love if some of the activities we are directed to do in TA could help with team bonding over the course of the year]]> 2021-09-27 01:16:14 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1769549668 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1770901235 - Will TA be online or in-person? If the latter, are there TPH issues with mixing cohorts?

- I didn't receive a single piece of positive feedback from the students regarding last year's TA structure. Students (and staff) felt swamped with work, and the TA credit was just piling onto the workload

- A number of students in my TA group needed the support that a teacher advisor normally brings, but there was no time for such support, and the virtual delivery of the GLS curriculum did not allow for a suitable environment for TA support

- Very little team-building and camaraderie 

- I feel as though there is a fundamental discrepancy with what we want TA to be, and the requirement to deliver a credit. Something has to give here.]]> 2021-09-27 12:25:41 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1770901235 Clear definition of TA duties - we are often given very time consuming tasks and jobs to do which could easily be done centrally by guidance or the main office https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1771856352 2021-09-27 16:58:39 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1771856352 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1771905461 This year, I don't see much of a point of meeting with our TA groups.  While I can see the benefits of students being together and socializing informally, this negates the attempts to keep cohorts separate and "bubbles" small as possible.  Running TA online also seems like a waste of time, since the vast majority of students will keep their cameras turned off and there will not be any actual interaction between the students. There really is no need for TA interviews for academic purposes since students are not self-scheduling and their courses are teacher-paced.

When Mary Ward returns to our traditional self-directed system, I think that TA is a valuable part of our school's DNA. However, I do not believe that it should be a credit-bearing course.  The credit that is currently granted to our students is a bit of a joke and students do not take it seriously. TA groups can still meet regularly without the expectation of receiving a credit just like a homeroom group at other schools.  TA interviews can still be conducted to ensure the success of each of our advisees.]]> 2021-09-27 17:15:23 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1771905461 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1776350216 Even though we cannot run TA as we normally do, we need to begin to bridge the gap that our reality has created. In order to do that, there needs to be an emphasis on reconnecting and building relationships and less on formal lessons/unit work. 
Yes, a credit is being granted and therefore 'work' needs to be done, but the curriculum for GLS lends itself nicely to things like mental health, social skills, peer mentorship, leadership, etc. all things that kids and staff can benefit from. 
Mary Ward is the community that it is primarily because of TA and we all reap the benefits of that, so we have to work together to get us back to that same spirit. ]]> 2021-09-29 01:03:01 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1776350216 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1778217535 I think going back to focusing on relationship/community building would be great for TA.

This year TA will be credit bearing so the challenge will be to incorporate that above vision, grant a credit (with a mark), and ensure the workload does not overwhelm teachers.  But I believe can we figure something out.

In the future, if TA becomes no longer credit bearing, we need to make sure that we don't lose the time we are given for TA because it is no longer a school course. Also if it is not on a teacher's timetable how do we ensure that all teachers are willing to participate in TA fully to support our students. Preserving the time given and staff involvement in the TA will be essential to the future of our program.]]> 2021-09-29 14:17:01 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1778217535 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1780064676 Mary Ward is a magical, exciting, busy and challenging place and it couldn’t work without the pivotal role of the TA program. 

The role of the teacher advisor is multi-faceted, unique and extremely important to the success of the students at Mary Ward. We wear many hats. 

TAs are often looked to for mentoring, motivating and advice. We have on the job training, to become great listeners and liaisons, not only between school and home, but sometimes between student and admin or other teachers. At times, we need to play the role of the disciplinarian when students are not meeting expectations. We become consultants, role models, strategists and planners. Sometimes we are just that friendly, familiar face in the morning, or on the zoom call.

We need to keep the hope alive that we can, not return to, but move forward to a new kind of TA, where relationships are valued and maintained, where kindness and community flourish and where we're not confined by what feels like an overwhelming amount of work just to give a credit. 

With that said, there is value in maintaining a credit bearing TA to ensure that it stays and that everybody does it and continues to do interviews and that those can continue to be built into our schedule. 

With lunch cross-pollination of cohorts and some extracurricular activities already being reintroduced, I don't see a problem with us gathering as a TA somewhat regularly to bond and begin to rebuild the resilience we once had. ]]> 2021-09-30 03:09:45 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1780064676 https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1784703608 TA is a very valuable component of Mary Ward and is a part of our identity.   The relationships that it fosters between students and staff create a culture unlike any other in the board, and the role of a caring adult cannot be underestimated. Both staff and students benefit from the environment that it creates.  As we emerge from the pandemic, hopefully, we learn from the changes that we have all experienced, be it the advantages of teacher-pacing or an exponential increase in the use of technology. We are at an important crossroads where together we can re-envision SDL at Mary Ward.  There are many exciting possibilities.  Regardless of the evolving model of our school, there is an important role for TA.  That being said, it does not make any sense that staff must teach an extra .5 credit in order to maintain TA as we know it.  Why must we also deliver an extra .5 in order to maintain TA?  Some may say that we do so in order to ensure that all teachers do TA interviews etc., however, that argument makes no sense as if we are assigned an extra .5 there are 55 hours of instruction/curriculum that must be delivered (regardless if that is mental health, etc.)  which is outside of what we do as TAs and therefore there is still no requirement to do what we do as TAs. Not to mention that that 55 hours takes away time from our other courses (so how then do they maintain the necessary hours for credit?) as well as takes time away that we could be spending on the role of TA.  Just as there may have to be a special clause in the contract to maintain the extra .5, there could simply be a clause in the contract that would relate to the duties of the TA as we know it instead.  

A separate but related issue is that the continuance of an extra .5 that is not a compulsory credit will actually hurt the enrollment in elective courses as students will be able to take 2 less courses over 4 years in order to graduate. 


]]> 2021-10-01 16:52:02 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1784703608 Inclusivity is so important with TA. We have students with different abilities and of different ages coming together to feel part of a community. If the focus is on earning a half-credit, we take away from the bonding aspect and it is difficult to come up with course material which will be attainable for every student. https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1787438891 2021-10-03 15:02:03 UTC https://padlet.com/michael_wetzel/8md0153cyzbfjhk1/wish/1787438891