During this podcast, I liked how one of the teachers talked about how important being a teacher’s assistant is. He stated how not only do you get to help and connect with students, you get to better understand the material by teaching it. Since I am thinking about becoming a teacher’s assistant, this information was valuable to me. Honestly, I want to help struggling students with their work, and if I can get better at the subject while doing it, that confirmed my decision to sign up to be a TA. Additionally, he spoke about how important teachers are in the learning experience. I can definitely relate to this. In high school, if I was struggling in a class, it was welcoming when a caring teacher would sit down with me one on one and made sure I properly understood the material. On the other hand, it was terrible when teachers did not care whether their students understand the material or not. Even if I enjoy and am good at the subject, a good teacher is still crucial to make sure that I am successful inside and outside of the class.
Rose Scholars Fall 2020
Endless possibilities
I completely agree with you! I’ve found that Teachers and the TA’s can really make a course (that would otherwise be dull and confusing) interesting and fun to learn about. Every time I think about what I want to major it, or what classes I enjoyed, I question whether I actually liked the material or if it was just the professor! I think it’s really cool that you signed up to be a TA; I am also looking into that for next fall. In the mean time, I’ve just finalized plans to be a middle school tutor again. I think it’s important to have student TA’s and tutors, because often times we understand why our peers are confused better than other people, since we probably had the exact same frustration.
I agree with what you wrote in this post. I think that while a huge part of teaching is making sure your student understands certain concepts, mentorship beyond class material is crucial to a good learning experience. Success outside of class will boost success inside of class, as well. I think it’s really great that you want to become a TA! You seem to care a lot about both students’ education and wellbeing, and I’m sure your future students will appreciate learning from you.
I also think its great that you were able to gain a new perspective on the importance of teaching assistants! I think its really helpful to hear from professors about their experiences as well. I have found that teaching the material really helps you learn the material well, so that’s awesome that you are looking into TA positions.