When working in a school environment there are a variety of people you will communicate with ranging from different back grounds. Theses being social, professional and even cultural. As a teaching assistant you need to be able to adapt with different people and be able to use the correct form of communication. Even though there are various backgrounds you will need to maintain productive working relationships.
We live in a multicultural society where forms of communicating differ being in language, mannerisms, gestures, body language. These differences can only be noted when we compare them to our culture. The following example has been noted from studymoose.com. In some cultures, direct eye contact may be disrespectful, more so to some one elder to you or if they are in a professional position. You may get some children avoiding direct eye contact because of this, although we may find this as being rude, uninterested or shy, we need to understand that this may simply just be a cultural difference.
Another example which I have picked up on from personal experience within some cultures is a handshake. I am fully aware that in some cultures the handshake with the opposite gender is avoided because this is physical contact. Some people of different cultures avoid this not to be rude but most likely as part of their practice. Instead other ways of greeting may be more appropriate such a warm smile or even a slight nod of the head towards the direction of the person.
As a teaching assistant it is important to be aware of these differences. it may even be the case of being knowledgeable about these different cultures or possibly asking questions about these differences. Either way this would make working with a person of a different culture easier and have an impact on building a more positive relationship.
Working as a teaching assistant you are a representative for the school, therefore you need to conduct yourself professionally. That is implied when communicating with other adults or children.
When mediating with other professionals, there are times when you need keep the conversations formal. For example, if in a classroom environment you would address the other professional with their surname and use language that is polite including, ‘please’ or ‘thank you’. This is a good example showing the children how to address each other by being polite and respectful. In the staffroom the choice of words and context of the language would change. It would be more informal and relaxed, i.e. addressing the other professional by their first name.
Similarly, going into a meeting with another professional the language used will be formal and the behaviours will adapt for that meeting. The type of language used may involve jargon relating to certain school issues, but once stepped out of the meeting the tone of the language would change back to being informal and relaxed.
