So…I just realized that I saved a DRAFT of this post and didn’t actually post this. So…this post was actually completed quite a while ago…(like last Saturday).
What have you learned about yourself and the teaching enterprise by being a TA?
The teaching enterprise:
I would say that I was surprised by the amount of time it takes to be a professor, but because I was raised by educators, I’m really not. They bring their work with them wherever they go (family vacations, the occasional 3 hour car ride, etc.) and I just assumed that this is what other professors did as well. I believe that childhood assumption is correct after having witnessed the behind-the-scenes work completed by you. However, I am rather surprised at what goes on behind-the-scenes and the amount of effort put into each element of the teaching process.
- Before Prep: I find this very strenuous. Planning out exactly what each day’s topic will be and ensuring all pertinent information is given is difficult to fathom. Many teachers fall behind, but I don’t believe you did (or at least not to the extent I’ve seen in my college career). Learning the names of students to increase engagement is something I have absolutely never witnessed in classes this size and is something for which I greatly respect you. I looked through the pictures that were posted of the class on D2L…it was NOT easy to even decipher some of the names much less figure out who was who from day to day.
- Day of: The media usage is something that continues to impress me. I’m pretty tech-savvy and some of the media in this classroom is pretty confusing to me (for example, the lovely light switches that really seem to have absolutely no order whatsoever). Additionally, the energy that it takes to be in front of a group of college students – much less a group of 250+ – is…well…awe-inspiring. I’m pretty extroverted and 20 minutes was enough for me for about a week. Also, the effort to engage the class – this makes class time much more memorable.
I’ve learned that in order to be a great professor – one must put every ounce of energy he or she has into absolutely every aspect of the teaching process. Teaching is about offering learning opportunities and truly linking learning to life. It is not easy to do this for every class, but as psychology is very applicable to the individual, even more effort needs to be put into linking learning to experience. I say this because the entire point of psychology, to me, is to study the way others think and feel and how this effects the individual. Since each of us is an individual, the topics covered in psychology are very accessible and effective teachers will be able to drill this point home and utilize this feature to his/her advantage.
All the different components of teaching are very daunting – quizzes, pretests, review sessions, ERLP, emailing, following up with students on individual and group concerns, relaying important information to all students in a timely manner, etc. This whole process is just very time-consuming. That’s not necessarily a negative comment though.
Finally, I’ve learned that teaching…is just not for me. I do think I could be good at it, but I think I would be simply too exhausted because I refuse to pursue a career unless I can be the best I can personally be at whatever that career may be. And to do this…and do it well, I would need to spend a ton of time organizing and strategies methods for engagement. Not horrible…but not ideal. I’m grateful I learned this now!
What I’ve learned about me:
I am the type of person who is always seeking opportunites to develop more as a person, and as a result, I’m constantly working on improving some aspect of my personality. Soinstead of learning numerous new things about myself, there were aspects of improvement that became very apparent to me throughout the semester. Something that has plagued me throughout my life is self-confidence and doubt. While I am easily able to project self-confidence, rarely do I feel completely self-assured. I didn’t realize how deep-seeded an issue this was until this semester. It causes me to be very cautious in my approach. Instead of concerning myself with what anyone else thinks of me, I need to find a way to really relinquish the fear of disapproval and love being myself – fully. It’s really much easier said than done.
I learned that I need to learn how to be more skilled with my time management. While I really believe that I was pretty adept at it this semester, there were some involvements that took a hit because I became very focused on being a good TA and being a great executive member of NRHH. Luckily my academics improved (for the most part) this semester!
I know now that being a professor is most likely not what I should do with my life, not because this was in any way a negative experience, but because my eyes were opened to what it takes to be a great professor. I want to be great at whatever I choose to do and I don’t know that I have the passion or dedication to be a phenomenal professor.
I loved collaborating with the other TAs and truly learned how to do this effectively this semester. It now is something that I feel defines me. I enjoyed this experience very much. I had the opportunity to work with a professor I greatly respect, got to engage students with a subject I love, and met 5 phenomenal women whom I have grown to respect very much.
So thanks for the opportunity and I really look forward to continuing my college psychology career. 🙂