5 Ways to Become a Great Education Assistant

The market is full of fulfilling jobs that make people feel like they are really helping to change the world. This is especially true when individuals find the right position to fit their beliefs, skills and personality. Sometimes, these people may be in the right job, or even a volunteer position, but aren’t sure how to progress and turn it into an advancing career. They don’t know how to move ahead in that field even though they love doing it because they are helping others.

This can often be the case for education assistants. They love what they do, they just want to do it at a higher level, do it even better, or find a way to bring it into their life as a full time job. There are a few things to know about becoming a great education assistant and while you might guess a couple of these suggestions, there are likely one or two that will surprise you.

1.      Pursue an education assistant program online or in-person.

In today’s world, there are few occupations that don’t require or benefit from a formal education. Some people in the education assistant industry may tell you they didn’t need to take a course. That may have been years ago or there could have been special circumstances – likely something hard to repeat. What is consistent is that those who have a formal education as an education assistant are far more likely to get a job and continue to move ahead in their career.

This can initially feel disheartening. “How can I take a course when I’m working?” Fortunately, some schools offer their education assistant course online to provide flexibility and easy access without a sacrifice on the education you need to advance your career. Taking an education assistant program online from a qualified school gives you exposure to others interested in the field, instructors with first-hand experience and access to the information you need to make the best decisions for the future of your career. With the advances of education assistant courses online, you get all of this from the comfort of your own computer.

2.      Work on specific skills to benefit your work.

Every job has skills that make people better in their role. As an education assistant, the focus is on communication and instructing – which you may have guessed. However, two key areas you might not have considered are social perceptiveness and critical thinking. Social perceptiveness is the ability to identify why individuals respond or react the way they do, which is essential when dealing with special education students who may be unable to verbalize their needs. Critical thinking is the identification of strengths and weaknesses inherent in various solutions to a problem. This too is key in the role of an education assistant because of the need to consider various approaches and choose the best one for the situation being faced at the time.

Fortunately, for those who take an education assistant program online or in-person, these skills are part of the learning and there are a number of books, workshops and online tools to help advance these skills outside of an education assistant course online.

3.      Your personality matters.

Chances are, more than once, you’ve heard about someone who is acceptable at their job, but they “just aren’t really the right fit.” This is generally where personality comes into play. It is possible for someone to do an adequate job as an education assistant without the right personality traits, but they will never be as good in their role as someone who has those traits.

Fortunately, you can practice these traits and enhance them in yourself by being more aware of yourself, your responses and your approach to others. Some key personality elements to be an education assistant are: compassion, patience, flexibility, adaptability and a calm approach. If you work to improve these traits, not only will you be a better education assistant, but chances are, other areas of your life will improve as well.

There are many ways to build these personality traits and like the job skills noted above, there are resources online, workshops and books that outline ways to help enhance them.

4.      Belief in inclusion.

Generally, those who work as education assistants have a belief in the inclusivity of all people regardless of mobility, ability or other factors. This may not yet have been a conscious thought for you. If you’ve not considered why being an education assistant feels right and your beliefs about the students you help, take the time to explore your own feelings on the subject and consider your stance on inclusivity.

An individual working as an education assistant must firmly believe that everyone has the right to learn, to belong and to be part of an inclusive community. This means that whether a student has learning disabilities (auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, visual perceptual/visual motor deficit, etc.), communication disorders (those that affect speech and those that affect language), emotional and behavioural disorders (ADD, ADHD, etc.), developmental disabilities (autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.) or physical disabilities (muscular dystrophy, spinal bifida, etc.), you will support the student’s right to education that helps them meet their goals.

5.      Serving as an advocate.

Unfortunately, many special needs students are unable to make their personal needs known in a way that most others understand. As an education assistant, it is your role to get to know the student, help interpret their wants, needs and desires and communicate to others to obtain the best possible result. This may mean interacting with other students, teachers, parents or family members as the voice for the student.

Sometimes special education assistants are a student’s greatest advocate to ensure things that deliver a richer life are offered.

If you want to be a great education assistant, consider some of the attributes you can work on to advance yourself in the field. It can be an incredibly rewarding job with a lot of advancement possible given that the field is growing constantly.