Table of Contents
- Teacher Assistant Resume Sample
- Related Resumes
- Teacher Assistant Resume (Text Format)
- Teacher Assistant Resume Writing Tips
Teacher Assistant Resume Sample
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This MS Word Teacher Assistant Resume
Related Resumes
Teacher Assistant Resume (Text Format)
2207 Lodge Rd., Plymouth, MN 55416
(952) 081-5834
marthaclaesson@email.com
Caring and motivated teacher assistant with 7 years of classroom experience. Strong multitasking ability, recognized for excellent communication skills and ability to manage and enthusiastically engage with classes of 30+ students. Deeply committed to providing creative, high-quality educational materials and superior instructional support to create the best environment for education possible. Fully certified by the state of Minnesota.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ZACHARY LANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Plymouth, MN
Teacher Assistant August 2014 – Present
- Received award for Teaching Assistant of the Year from Zachary Lane Elementary School in 2015, with commendation for patience and enthusiasm when managing large groups of students
- Independently supervised classes of 30-40 students during arrival and dismissal, mealtimes, on the playground, and on field trips
- Assisted and mentored students in groups and on an individual basis
- Provided educational materials, including daily lesson plans, and weekly homework packets that averaged a 95% completion rate
- Assisted teachers in creating quizzes and activities with creative questions that encouraged out-of-the-box critical thinking
CONCORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Edina, MN
Classroom Aide September 2011 – June 2014
- Engaged one-on-one with students with behavioral problems in both classroom and extracurricular settings, resulting in an improvement of more than 10% in their grades
- Supervised weekly reading group that encouraged elementary students to read an average of 3 new books monthly
- Proctored biweekly quizzes and weekly tests, ensuring academic integrity and an appropriate testing environment
- Worked under teacher’s direction to maintain a clean, safe and comfortable classroom
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
- Proficient with classroom technology and virtual learning environments, including Microsoft Office, SMART Learning Suite, and Blackboard Learn
- Ability to play the guitar and piano
- Patient and able to function well under pressure
EDUCATION
EDINA HIGH SCHOOL Edina, MN
Diploma, June 2011
- GPA 3.6/4
CERTIFICATIONS
- First Aid and CPR (American Red Cross)
- CCA (Child Care Assistant)
Teacher Assistant Resume Writing Tips
Teacher’s assistants perform an important role in the classroom. Working under the direction of a lead teacher, they can be called upon to supervise students and provide extra instruction when they struggle, to assist with grading, and to develop new educational materials, including lesson plans and assignments.
Teacher’s assistants earn around $26,000 per year on average, and their salaries fall into a fairly narrow range, with few dipping below $22,000 or rising above $28,000. Their salaries are not strongly influenced by experience.
When writing your resume, follow these tips to stand out from other applicants and make a great impression before you even step in the door.
1. Start Your Resume with a Fantastic Career Objective
Your career objective is a list of your best qualities, skills, and accomplishments, all the things that make you a great teaching assistant. It’s one of the first things anybody who looks at your resume will see, so make sure you write a good one. It needs to be clearly written and concise–hiring managers sometimes decide whether to throw out or keep a resume in as little as six seconds. It should convey confidence without coming across as arrogant. When writing it, bear the following two things in mind:
It’s about why you’re right for the position, not why the position is right for you.
This is the number-one place where applicants go wrong. When you’re applying for your dream job, it’s easy to forget yourself and gush about why it would be perfect for your life and your career, but hiring managers are paid to consider their organization’s needs, not yours.
It needs to showcase your particular strengths.
Beyond demonstrating that you’re a great teacher’s assistant, your objective should show how you’re different from the other great teacher’s assistants who are applying. Whoever you are, there’s something special about you, some particular skill that most people don’t have. Maybe you’re a brilliant lesson planner, and the assignments you create are always fresh and different. Maybe you have the patience of a zen monk, and you can keep calm even when there’s a whole class of kids screaming at you. Whatever your greatest skill is, emphasize it.
It helps to research your prospective school and find out what skills they might particularly value. Whether it’s an elementary or high school, whether it’s public or private, whether you’ll be working with special ed students or not—all that will affect what they’re looking for. In our example, the applicant (for a public school) writes:
Strong multitasking ability, recognized for excellent communication skills and ability to manage and enthusiastically engage with classes of 30+ students.
It’s an unfortunate fact that over the past few decades, the average class size in most public schools has grown larger and larger. Handling large groups of students is demanding and can leave many teaching assistants overwhelmed. By noting that she is able to deal with this (enthusiastically, no less), the applicant sets herself aside from the competition.
Always do your homework before applying. It will pay dividends later.
2. Quantify, Quantify, Quantify
Quantifying your resume means, wherever possible, citing hard numbers and listing specific accomplishments. Quantified claims are clearer, stronger, more convincing. You might be tempted to write that you’re “committed to helping your students reach their maximum potential.” That’s admirable, but it’s vague. Instead, cite a time when you helped your students complete a particular assignment, or raise their grades by a specific amount.
In our sample resume, the applicant mentions that she created homework packets. She could have written,
Soft, Unquantified Statement:
- Provided weekly homework packets with creative questions that students enjoyed
Instead she wrote,
Stronger, More Convincing:
- Provided weekly homework packets that averaged a 95% completion rate
In the first quote, the hiring manager has only her word that her homework packets were fun. She’s asking them to trust her judgment, which is a lot to ask of somebody who hasn’t met you yet. In the second quote, she’s stating a fact.
There are a lot of opportunities in your job for quantification. As specifically as possible, mention:
Opportunities for Quantification
- Improvements you made in your students’ grades
- Awards you received
- How large your classes were
- How many assignments you created
- The number of colleagues you assisted or trained
The first two are the big ones. Grades matter, and if you demonstrably improved them, don’t be afraid to brag about that. Official commendations from your lead teacher, principal, or superintendent are a big deal, and should always be listed first.
3. Make It Clear That You’re Certified …
The requirements to become a teacher’s assistant vary significantly state by state. You don’t need a teaching certificate or a bachelor’s degree, but you do need a high school diploma (or equivalent). You’ll also probably be required to complete some college coursework, log a certain number of hours working with children, or pass a state examination.
Mention that you’re certified in your resume AND your cover letter.
There’s a good chance that your resume will be reviewed by a computer program, called an applicant tracking system, before it’s ever seen by a living human. You need to include everything in your resume that an ATS might look for, and that includes all the certifications required of you. That’s also the kind of thing hiring managers scan for first, even if they’re not using an ATS.
Make it very clear that you’re qualified to do the job. Mention that you’re certified in your resume AND your cover letter. In our sample, the applicant mentions it at both the beginning and end of her resume.
4. … And Mention That You’re Tech-Savvy
Gone are the days when you could teach with a blackboard and a piece of chalk. These days, you are expected to be familiar with educational software and technology.
Don’t neglect this on your resume. Your hiring manager will look for it. This is especially true if the lead teacher you’ll be working with isn’t tech-savvy, as is sometimes the case. Your job is to assist them, after all.
You need to be proficient with Microsoft Office, and able to browse the web and send emails without tripping up. You should be comfortable around basic office technology like printers and copiers, as well as classroom technology like SMART Boards and virtual learning environments like Blackboard Learn. In general, you’re expected to be familiar with the same tools that teachers are:
Classroom Software:
- Pearson ECollege
- Moodle Sakai
- Lore
- MyEdu
- GoinGon
- Instructable Canvas
- Blackboard Learn
- Canvas
Other Software Skills:
- Microsoft Office
- GIMP/Photoshop
- Windows Movie Maker or iMovie
Research Skills:
- Web browsing and online search abilities
- JSTOR and other research tools
- Google Scholar
If you have any formal qualifications, like a Microsoft Office certification, indicate that in the appropriate section of your resume. Here, again, it helps a lot to do your homework and find out what tools the school you’re applying to uses. When you list your skills, make sure to format and quantify them in a way that will beat an ATS and impress a hiring manager.
