Oh to be a TA

So in grad school for biology you either get to be a TA (teaching assistant) or if you are realllly lucky an RA (research assistant). I say lucky because it means you have alot more time to persue your research and that of your professors and don't have to carve out blocks of time to be in class/answering questions, leading lab, grading papers and all the other underglorified work as a TA.

However, if you know that you want to pursue a life in academia (as I do!) you soon realize that teaching is part of the mix.

So far in my grad career I have been a TA/instructor the whole time and though it has been challenging at times (ahem more than challenging sometimes) I gleen quiet satisfaction when I think about how I am able to help these students learn, gain confidence and a new appreciation for a subject.

Sure I want to tear my hair out when I am asked the same question 85million times during lab and when they are sloppy in their lab reports or totally miss the point of the experiment. Sure I am dissapointed when they text (like I don't see it) or misuse/break lab supplies. Its a thankless job so much of the time that its hard to get motivated to be enthusiastic to just keep going!

BUT, there are bright spots, maybe its the material, maybe its one excited lab group who brings there A-game everytime, or asks great questions in class. Sure, I smile when I grade the papers/exams where there are one or two students that ace and frown when the few at the bottom fail.

During my time as a TA/instructor at UNH I have found that I have grown so much as a teacher. I knew where my weaknesses/strengths were coming in (having taught at Gordon College) and I feel like this experience is building me up and making me better all around.

Getting mushy? Just wait!

I got my TA evals back today from what was a very challenging fall where I TA'd two classes and had 100 students to handle. I felt spread thin, over used in my capacity to teach and underappreciated...

But these evals make it all go away and here are a few excerpts:
'Our TA was there for all of the field trips even the one that took all day on a Friday and drove for 6 hours. I wish we could give TA's more credit. She is smart and knows what she is talking about.'

'Our TA was the best, keep up the great teaching!'

'Our TA answers questions really well and helped me understand the subject matter better'

'Loved the enthusiam and passion for plants'

*gulp*... as I read these I waiting for the complaints, gripes and displeasure but I didn't find them. Maybe its b/c I wasn't the instructor this time (i.e. the bad guy ;) but these were so positive I just had to share.

Sometimes, when I feel a lack of confidence in my teaching ability I try to remember that if I genuinely want to help the students learn I just have to put myself out there. Its a process.....