TA

[Lorizael]

I've been asked if I want to be a TA (lead a discussion section, grade stuff) for our introductory you-have-to-take-a-science-credit-dammit astronomy course. For some reason, our astronomy department has undergrad TAs. At first blush, this doesn't sound even remotely appealing given my social difficulties. But it (a) pays cash money and (b) gets me experience for something I will almost certainly have to do if I continue on to grad school.

Does anybody here have experience being a TA in college? Did you enjoy or get anything useful out of it? Was it terrifying or arduous?

[Jon Miller]

I was a TA throughout college excluding my Freshman year.

It was excellent both in preparation and as an experience.

JM
(Not excellent in pay though.)

[rah]

Hey, may you'll get a few cuties that will want to butter you up.

[Lorizael]

Hey, may you'll get a few cuties that will want to butter you up.

You don't have to give me more reasons not to do it.

[rah]

Who knows, it may actually help with some of your issues. Face the fear and all that.

[The Mad Monk]

Never TA'd, worked for the university as a tutor, poor pay, good experience, no regrets.

[rah]

Yeah, I just did the Tutor thing too. Never quite did the TA.
I was always better at one on one instruction.

[Lorizael]

Who knows, it may actually help with some of your issues. Face the fear and all that.

Well, I've been thinking about that. For the last year, I've had a call center job. I am forced to talk to dozens of strangers everyday. When I first started the job, I was terrified at the prospect. Now, of course, I'm not. I do it everyday, so it's natural. You'd think something like that would transfer over into other areas of my life, yet I still hide in my room and avoid my roommates whenever possible. Fear is a funny thing.

[rah]

Big difference of over the phone and face to face. Maybe the phone is just the first step and being a TA would help towards the face to face aspect.

But what the heck do I know. I prefer face to face over the phone since reading body language makes interaction easier for me.

[N35t0r]

I'm shy, nervous about other people, terrible at interpersonal relationships, and now in charge of presenting the results of our inspections to clients.

It helps that I know a lot more about what I'm presenting than the clients generally.

[Lorizael]

Big difference of over the phone and face to face. Maybe the phone is just the first step and being a TA would help towards the face to face aspect.

But what the heck do I know. I prefer face to face over the phone since reading body language makes interaction easier for me.

The answer my therapist would give to my observation is, "Well, Lori, it can transfer over into other areas of your life. You learned that you can fear a thing but still do it and become comfortable. So yes, of course you'll be afraid if you start TAing, but you know from your own experiences that if you keep doing it, the fear will go away and it will become natural, too. Rather than learning not to be afraid, you've learned that fear can be overcome."

[rah]

I'm sure most of us were geeky shy people when we were younger. Some still are but others are not. Just doing it is probably the only difference. As with everything, experience helps. SO GO FOR IT.

[BeBMan]

I'd say try it. Even if you're nervous or something - routine should take care of it when you're doing it for a while. At least that's what I would think

[Koyaanisqatsi]

I'd encourage it, but keep two things in mind before you start:

- grading is going to take longer than you think
- students do not have reasonable expectations for your time, availability, or inability to force them to learn something they don't want to put effort into

If you keep that in mind then being a TA is generally a positive experience.

[Lorizael]

Yeah, in my time spent as an undergrad and around grad students, that's the impression I've gotten. I've always tried to avoid putting anything extra on a TA's plate. (Except, I guess, that time I tried to bang my TA once the semester was over. Oops.)