What requirements do you have for your assistants? How much do you allow them to do in class?

I use my teaching assistants in my primary ballet and tap classes (3/4year olds). I have my teaching assistants sometimes lead stretching. When we go to barre they correct simple things such as having the kids put their feet back in first position, not hanging on the barre, turn around and look at your teacher, etc... When we go across the floor I send the kids around the room and my teaching assistant stands on the other side of the room when they are halfway around the room to make sure they are still doing what they are supposed to be. Then they help me tie shoes and do the same sort of thing in tap.

In less words: They are there to help me keep the class moving, take kids to the bathroom, and make simple corrections. However in the classes they help me with there are no big corrections to really make...they are 3 after all!

It depends on the class and which assistant I'm working with. My jr assistants lead stretches and essentially act as a demonstrator. They help kids get in to their spots in formations, count them in when going across the floor, keep the class quiet and on task if I stop to give individual correction. My mire experienced assistants help give individual correction in addition to the things above.

I assist in one class, and my duties with this class range from week to week. Last week, it was keep everybody moving. There were alot of individual corrections, and a few of the girls would wander off when the others were getting corrected, so my duty was to keep the wanderers doing something. Some weeks, I've full on run the class by myself. A few times, my duty for that weeks class has been "Mark center, so they know where to go...". It really varies by the personality of the class that week.

The girls in the class are 7-11. And I don't know that I'd trust just anybody to run a class by themselves, but I'm in my 30's, heh...

I, like the others, use my assistant as a demonstrator. She’s there to encourage the students and not correct. She can quietly help keep the students where they need to be and on task. Often times, she will act as my brain (goodness how forgetful I am sometimes!!!) If my attention needed to be adverted elsewhere, then I may let her lead an exercise, but I try to keep that to an extreme minimum. She also serves as my runner so that I may remain within the classroom. She is typically my official shoe tier and line maker. She serves as my number one role-model, as I expect her to take class the way I want the students to do it.

As fate would have it, I am assistant-less this year. I certainly don’t need an assistant, but when I am without, I realize how much I lean on her help. The list of duties always sounds so insignificant, but a good assistant really freezes the teacher up in unbelievable ways.