Teacher Assistant, Kindergarten

Loudoun County Public Schools - Ashburn, VA

Full-time

Ashburn, VA

Educational Services

About the position

The Teacher Assistant for Kindergarten at Loudoun County Public Schools plays a crucial role in supporting the educational process by assisting the lead teacher in various instructional and administrative tasks. This position involves working closely with young children, helping them develop essential skills in a nurturing and structured environment. The Teacher Assistant is responsible for preparing classroom materials, supervising student behavior, and implementing specific behavior management techniques as directed by the teacher. Additionally, the role includes performing clerical duties and providing assistance with personal hygiene and physical care needs as required. The work is performed under the guidance and supervision of the teacher, ensuring that the educational objectives are met effectively. In this role, the Teacher Assistant will provide both individual and group instruction on various activities, demonstrating and assisting students with skill development in areas such as ABC sequencing, visual discrimination, word rhyming, and letter-number matching. The assistant will also monitor art project programs, prepare materials, and ensure a clean and organized classroom environment. Implementing behavior modification plans and providing discipline in the absence of the teacher is also a key responsibility, along with supervising learning centers and participating in classroom activities. The Teacher Assistant will monitor students during recess and assist them during lunch periods, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all students. The position requires the Teacher Assistant to prepare the classroom for daily activities, assist students as they arrive, record attendance, and manage snack counts. The assistant will set up and operate audio-visual equipment, practice individual speech sounds and vocabulary with students as directed by the speech therapist, and read to students to stimulate language development. Clerical tasks such as filing, photocopying, and making arrangements for field trips are also part of the job. Overall, the Teacher Assistant is expected to perform related work as required, contributing to the overall success of the kindergarten program.

Responsibilities

• Provides individual and group instruction on activities as instructed.
• Demonstrates and assists students with skill development such as ABC sequencing, visual discrimination, word rhyming, and letter-number matching.
• Monitors art project programs including preparing the materials and cleaning up.
• Implements behavior modification plans and provides discipline in the absence of the teacher.
• Supervises learning centers and participates in classroom activities.
• Monitors students during recess and assists them during the lunch period.
• Prepares the classroom and helps settle the students by organizing the room and materials.
• Assists students off the bus, records attendance, and takes the snack count.
• Sets up and operates audio-visual equipment such as opaque, movie, and filmstrip projectors and video cameras.
• Practices individual speech sounds, vocabulary, and syntax objectives with students as directed by the speech therapist.
• Reads to students and asks questions to stimulate language development.
• Presents language activities involving expressive and receptive areas of development.
• Performs clerical tasks such as filing and photocopying.
• Makes arrangements for field trips.
• Performs related work as required.

Requirements

• Graduation from high school and experience as a teacher aide or working with children.
• Ability to work under the supervision of the teacher, including following lesson plans prepared by teachers.
• Ability to record data and verbally describe student progress and difficulties.
• Ability to work effectively with individual children and small groups, meeting the instructional objectives as established by the teacher.
• Ability to take initiative in recognizing an immediate need and meeting it without specific instructions.
• Physical ability to lift, position, and assist students as required.
• Ability to learn to perform individual medical procedures when necessary.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment and to learn to operate video equipment.
• Good human relations and communications skills; patience and flexibility.