Knowing what's expected of you as a teaching assistant & a little preparation can go a long way to making the first class of your first semester a wonderful experience.
Graduate students—those strange creatures that are neither students nor professors. In most colleges, graduate students are those poor, anxiety-ridden souls that are vaguely responsible for “helping the professor.” For many graduate students, the teaching assistantship is a way of testing the waters in the classroom. Like an apprenticeship, the assistantship can help the graduate student prepare for a life devoted to academia.
But, what about that first day? The first time in front of a classroom can be a daunting and stressful experience, even with preparation. Often, graduate students are just barely older than the undergraduates that they teach, but their roles are drastically different. Some of the things that might be expected of a graduate student:
- Coordinating discussion sections, workshops, and labs: Because so many courses involve large class sizes (50 students or more), typically the course professor will hold lectures two or three times a week for the entire class. The student lacks the personal attention that could be had in a smaller group. A class of about fifteen to twenty students also encourages more participation
- Running a complete course: In this case, a graduate student is the main lecturer and has all the responsibilities of a regular professor or lecturer. Here, the graduate student has to prepare lectures and activities, grade papers and exams, and manage the bureaucratic aspects of course scheduling, teaching evaluations, and more.
- Grading papers and exams: Sometimes a graduate teaching assistant will not actually stand in front of the classroom and, instead, is responsible for evaluating the students. It is important, however, for the graduate student to evaluate the undergraduates fairly and to attend lectures regularly (and be a good example for the undergraduates!)
- Interacting with students: A great deal of a teaching assistant’s time is spent in direct contact with the students. Often the graduate assistant is the liaison between the professor and the student, so it is important for him or her to be aware of university guidelines, course requirements, and other administrative matters.
Regardless of what functions a graduate student is expected to fulfill in the coming semester, it is vital that they are well-informed, prepared, and, most of all, tough. There is nothing quite like the flurry of student questions in the days before and after an exam, but it’s really on the first day that a graduate student can put the entire semester off on the right foot. Before the first class meeting where a graduate student is the leader, he or she should have:
- A roster, class-list, or some other way of taking attendance. Be aware that sometimes the administration does not have a roster available for the class. In this case, hand around a sign-in sheet and consider making the sign-in sheet the primary method of taking attendance for the rest of the semester (if necessary). A bound notebook can be very useful for taking attendance since it removes the necessity of carrying around loose pages of sign-in sheets.
- A reliable watch or clock that you are comfortable with. Some people (myself included) have difficult time reading an analog clock (e.g., one with hands) while talking at the same time. There is no other way to pace yourself and your class than with a watch. Depending on your preferences, you might want to invest in a stopwatch.
- Extra copies of the syllabus and other materials for the course. Often students sign in to a class late, and they might have missed the main lecture session where the professor handed out the syllabus.
- A copy of your own section syllabus, showing your email address, office hours and location, and other contact information. Other information to include would be guidelines for your sessions, a schedule of additional readings for the course, and information about how you will evaluate their performance in these sessions. This would also be a good place to distribute information about plagiarism.
- Index cards to collect information about the students. Ask particularly for email addresses and majors. This is also a good way to get information about students that do not appear on your roster when you start class.
- Any necessary supplies like chalk, pens, etc. This may seem silly, but you cannot rely on there being a piece of chalk waiting for you when you enter your classroom. Get into the habit early of bringing everything you need before you get to class.
With some easy preparation, the stress of the first day can really be alleviated. Remember that, while you’re not expected to be perfect in front of the classroom, you are expected to try your best. So, come prepared and set a good example for your students!
