My experience as a TA has given me a whole new perspective on not just teaching, but also on how to perform better as a student. One thing that I learned is that students can learn a lot more just by how much attention they are paying to the professor. Prof. Gurung walks around the whole class and shook lectures up with activities, which kept the students awake and alert. In one of my other courses this past semester, my professor just stood in the same spot the whole class, lectured nonstop for the whole hour and twenty-minutes, and whenever I looked around, other students were either dazing off or sleeping. Another thing I learned was that teaching means connecting the material to a students’ own life, not just naming off facts. For instance, with the somatoform disorders I presented, I did not merely present it as a fact that was going to go down in their notes. I wanted to present it as something that they can understand on a deeper level. So, before I began on the material I questioned students about new pains that have developed at the end of the semester, and I also presented a video with a man relatively close to the ages of the students (man had somatoform disorder). Connecting/relating material to students helps them recognize the similarities/differences between them and the material, and how they can relate it to other material. I also learned about how important teacher/student communication is both in and out of class. In class, I learned how to ask and answer questions with students. I also learned about the deep consideration that needs to go into issues outside of class. For example, talking about why students text or skip class, what the punishments should be for cheaters, and even how to get feedback on issues (such as the end-of class questionnaire we created). All student issues, no matter how big or small, deserve to be looked at with the same consideration and fairness.
My reaction to being a TA was at first hesitant, but am now very comfortable and thankful that I had this experience. Facing the students, instead of sitting with them, has helped me see what kind of pressure and dependence students put/have on the professor. Doing a presentation in front of a group of classmates can be nerve-wracking but doable, but being a professor takes a great amount of practice and skill. I believe that being a TA has helped me build on some of my teaching skills that I had weaknesses or little knowledge of (mentioned in the latter paragraph).
I enjoyed being a TA, especially because I got to work with such friendly and supportive member-TAs, as well as a encouraging professor. I only knew one of the TA’s before this semester, and I hardly knew Gurung. Now, I feel like I’ve become good friends with the TAs and can go to Prof. Gurung for advice or to just chat. Each class brought something new to the table and challenged my thinking about teaching in some way. During a lot of classes, I would take little notes on specific things Prof. Gurung did while teaching, and used these for my own teaching experiences and also to better understand how to communicate with others. In the future, I hope to have another TA experience somewhere, to build further on my understanding of and skills in teaching.