General Education Assistants Job Description

The Role of Professionals in Education

If students are denied the right to be taught by qualified professional teachers, the school boards that assign educational assistants to tasks for which they are inadequately trained or unqualified, will be sued for malpractice. Educational assistants who are assigned teaching duties should inform their union and protest any assignment that exceeds their training and experience. Even qualified teachers who are employed as educational assistants should be careful not to carry out tasks that are outside of their role.

An educational assistant works with a teacher who is often called out of the class to attend to other duties. The teacher takes on the responsibility of completing the lesson and helping the class work through planned exercises when they are not around. The Code of Professional Conduct and the Education Act prohibit assigning such duties.

Students are allowed to receive instruction from qualified personnel. Although teachers who must attend meetings or be away from the classroom for some other reason may ask an assistant to supervise a class in their absence, they should not call on the assistant to provide more than limited instruction. If the class needs a substitute teacher to finish an assignment while the teachers are away, they should arrange for a qualified teacher.

Substitute teachers are not assistants. An educational assistant works with a student. The student's parents want to know their child's progress.

The assistant reports their observations of the student to the teacher who interprets them and reports them to the parents. The educational assistant is reporting to the teacher rather than the parents. The teacher is responsible for consulting with the assistant frequently, incorporating their observations into their own analysis of the student's progress, and discussing those needs with the parents.

General Assistants

General assistants can work in any field. There are many different types of assistants, including dental assistants, medical assistants, office assistants, construction assistants, business assistants and so on. An assistant's goal is to assist a specific person or business by performing the clerical tasks needed for the person or team to complete the job.

The job duties and responsibilities can change depending on the industry. The clerical duties help the office, team or individual person complete their job function. The assistants answer calls, route calls to the right person, answer questions or take a message.

General assistants have responsibilities that include opening and delivering mail, creating and maintaining files, filing new information, answering and responding to emails, scheduling business appointments, and making travel arrangements. An assistant completes any tasks that are asked of them. General assistants can work in any field that needs them, so they can take on additional responsibilities if needed.

General assistants must have completed high school. Technical school or college courses are not required for most positions. Most employers like their assistants to have experience.

A general assistant should have one year of general office experience, know how to use computers, be able to type 35 words per minute, and have the ability to work with office equipment such as fax and copy machines. General assistants work in an office. The setting is usually comfortable in a climate controlled environment.

General Assistants: A Resource for the Office

General assistants make sure everyone on the team is aware of upcoming activities and meetings. They make sure that meeting rooms are available during the requested time and that the schedule is rearranged to accommodate last-minute changes. General assistants are often the first point of contact.

They answer phones and ask questions. If necessary, they forward calls to the appropriate party or take messages if the person is unavailable. General assistants will call building managers or contractors to fix the problem if the office needs maintenance.

They make sure the work is completed in a timely manner so that the office employees don't have to deal with building problems. General assistants with a high school degree or GED are popular with employers. Employers don't usually require a bachelor's degree for candidates.

Medical Assistants

Medical assistants help maintain organization and keep the facility running efficiently by performing a range of clerical tasks. Administrative tasks like scheduling appointments, answering calls, fielding patients' questions, taking patients' medical history and filing and maintaining patient records are usually done by the medical assistant. Medical assistants perform a variety of clinical tasks under the supervision of registered nurses and physicians.

Medical assistants are often used to help a doctor during a patient's checkup or record vital signs before meeting with the doctor. A medical assistant's main responsibilities are to attend the reception area of the doctors' practices, file paperwork and maintain an organized office setting. Medical assistants are required to have a working knowledge of how to perform clerical tasks.

Medical assistants should have a basic understanding of clinical tasks in addition to the administrative responsibilities. Medical assistants should have the skills to understand patient care, procedures, medical terminology, tools and clinical pharmacology. Continuous on-the-job training is offered by many employers so employees can continue to build upon their clinical skills.

Medical assistants rely on their skills in building relationships in the workplace to interact with patients and staff. Quality care and clinical service can be provided if patients are connected and empathised with. In a medical assisting role, effective communication is necessary.

Medical assistants are often required to have written communication skills such as entering patient information into databases and recording patient information. Communication skills can be demonstrated by the ability to make suggestions and actively listen. Medical assistants need exceptional organization so that they can locate patient files, equipment and resources easily.

Special Education Teachers

A special education teacher may have a resource room or self-contained classroom. Some special education teachers and general education teachers work together to serve children with special needs. The special education teacher is expected to help other teachers modify the curriculum, management system and physical environment.

Changes in pacing are important for teachers who are going to special education. Students in special education classrooms learn to read. The need for repetition can give a different feeling to the teaching.

A self-contained intensive needs teacher may spend a lot of time teaching. Teachers of young children teach functional skills. Paperwork is an area of frustration.

There are some differences between general education and special education teachers. Special education teachers often find that more of their paperwork is important and less important. Special education teachers must keep detailed records to show that children with disabilities are getting the help they have been determined eligible for.

They must document progress in a way that would be legal. All teachers have access to confidential information. Special education teachers are more guarded than their confidential information.