We talk a lot about teachers here at TPTC but don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten the Teaching Assistants! TAs do fantastic work supporting both students and teachers, and we know many teachers are so thankful for the great work their TAs do. If you’re a teacher looking for a gift for your teaching assistant, or if you’re a parent buying a present for your child’s teacher and teaching assistant, we have some ideas for some things that teaching assistants would love to get as a gift!
Daily Planner
Our Daily Planner is perfect for teaching assistants, as their timetables and workload can really vary day to day. Our daily planner has an open section which is great for flexible schedules – you can list out times of different classes or meetings, or you can just write a rough plan of what you’re doing that day. There’s also a To Do list section for each day and a Special Events box. This is perfect for teaching assistants, whether they’re with one class all week and need to note down what task to do or who to work with for each lesson, or if they work across the school and need to change where they are and what they’re doing each day. A great way to stay organised, plus they come in so many beautiful designs!
To Do List Pad
Our To Do list pads are another great option for teaching assistants with flexible schedules. Each page has three top priorities and a long To Do list section, so each day you can write out all the things you’ll need to do that day, then tear off the page and start fresh each day. It’s a super portable option as it’s small and fits easily into a handbag or a good sized pencil case! It’s also great for keeping track of little jobs that need to get done throughout the week like admin, reporting, and working on displays. These also come in some many pretty designs, so you can pick the one your TA will like the best!
Teaching Support Pad
Our teaching support pad is a tear off pad that’s designed to help teachers and support staff communicate and work well together. There’s an overview section with space to detail each lesson that is going on that day and write notes about what the TA will do, like preparing resources or working with specific students. There’s also a box for ‘things you need to know about today’ and a to do list box for any extras. This pad is super flexible, as the teacher can have it to use whenever they have support staff in their class to help things run more smoothly, or even for leaving brief notes for a supply teacher. It’s also great for a teaching assistant to have and fill out themselves so they’re clear on what their day will look like. If you work across different classrooms, you can bring this with you and make notes on what you’ll be doing. A great way to ease communication and make sure everyone is on the same (tear off) page!
A Lanyard
We recently launched our new range of lanyards that come in so many fun and colourful designs! Teaching Assistants usually wear a lanyard with their ID and any other useful things like keys to store rooms or tutoring rooms or visual cue cards to help with communication. Having a colourful lanyard in a design that you love is a great way to add a bit of fun and personality to your everyday, which is what we’re all about. There’s a great range of designs so you can pick one that your teaching assistant will love!
A Monthly or Weekly Pad
The Monthly and Weekly Pads are another great option for staying organised, especially for teaching assistants who can often need to hop from task to task with different students across the school. They are both undated which means you can just use them for the school term and won’t waste pages during the school holidays – or maybe you’ll just use them on busier weeks. The monthly planner has a blank box for each day, great for marking important dates like school events or exams you’ll be invigilating. The weekly planner has a dotted box for each day, which is ideal for writing schedules, to do lists, things to remember, or a mix of all three. Perfect for using flexibly and super portable and easy to bring around with you!
