Unless you plan to become a faculty member, being a TA is the chance of a life time to interact with students and work with them in your discipline. -- Graduate TA
- Practice presenting course content to the students. Prior practice will increase your confidence.
- Recognize that you will make some mistakes. Be the first person to laugh at yourself when you make a mistake and then try to correct it as soon as possible, in the next class period at the latest.
- When you encounter your students socially, be friendly, personable and professional. Keep in mind that you are their TA. Maintain some professional distance in your relationships with students.
- Try to balance your time between your teaching life, your course work, and your personal life. Teaching is not a hundred percent of your life, remember that you are a student too, and that you should pay attention to your personal life.
- Clarify your instructional roles and responsibilities so that you know what you are accountable for. Many times the course policies are designed by the faculty and you need to reinforce those policies not defend them. Talk with your supervising faculty on a regular basis about the course so that students receive the same, consistent message. Students get concerned when they perceive that the faculty and the TA do not communicate with each other.
- Get faculty advice when you are having difficulties with students or when you are observing problematic student behavior.
- When you are responsible for designing course policies, try to be as clear as possible to avoid student misinterpretation. Phrase the policies such that they are straightforward and unambiguous. Explain course policies clearly to students.
- Don't hesitate to ask for faculty advice. Check with faculty to make sure you are consistent and fair in your grading.
- Take time to listen to the students. Take their concerns seriously; students appreciate it when you care about them. Get faculty advice when students come to you with serious personal problems. Familiarize yourself with various support services on campus that you can refer those students to for help.
- Take your TA responsibilities seriously. Initially, you may underestimate the amount of time it takes you to get everything accomplished. Take the time necessary to prepare and fulfill your role. Seek other TAs' advice on how they handle the workload.
- Keep in mind that not all students may be really interested in the course content and care about the course. Try to make the course interesting by engaging students actively and relating the content to their daily lives, but also remember: You cannot please everyone.
- Don't forget to enjoy yourself.
Based on 1998 TA Panel Discussion with John Bayalis, Communication; Karen Gaffney, English; Miao-Jung Ou, Mathematical Sciences; Steve Wrenn, 1998 Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient, Chemical Engineering
