I would like to take a moment to point out that I survived. Still alive
Today I also spent more on alcohol than ever before in my life. This is so not a coincidence. Actually, I'm prepping for (hosting) my happy hour, but let's be honest - I could consume it all right now and my syllabus would make a lot more sense.
I've gotten some questions about being a TA, so I thought I would say a little about it. Although "TA" stands for teaching assistant, I'm actually an independent instructor within the English department, responsible for my own assignments, readings, and lectures within the greater confines of the class expectations and protocols. So, I won't be sitting in an office somewhere, grading a "real" professor's class papers. I will be sitting in an office somewhere, hyperventilating and drinking heavily. And also planning my own class lectures and discussions and homework assignments and paper topics and other stuff I can't even remember right now.
I (along with my TA comrades) am in a unique position of having some boundaries, but not very many. Which is both a free and and terrifying place to be. New territory. I'm an Israelite in the desert, wondering if Egypt was as bad as all that. They did have melons. And those pointy buildings.
Do you remember what it was like to be a freshman? Do you remember your very first day of college? I'm trying to remember those feelings and those fears. I don't just want to teach writing, I want to help teach life, and college navigation. Is that possible? While working other jobs and taking classes of my own?
Time will tell.
Since you will be teaching freshman, the main thing to remember is that 90% of them will be hungover 75% of the time. The good thing is that many of them will have you as their teacher the first semester of their school career, so they might not be so know-it-all-y yet. Empty vessels and all that. You are going to be awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteSince this is actually what you ultimately want to be doing (if not the class you want to ultimately be teaching!), I'm sure you will not only do a great job, but have lots of inspiration in the process. The main frustration with teaching is that you can't control what's going on outside of class and that has such a huge impact as to whether or not they are listening at all.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember his name, but I'm sure your remember that poetry teacher who stood on one leg and was so entertaining? I still think of him when I read a good poem.