I'm TA'ing this semester. God help me.

[Writer]

He wants me, at some point during the semester, to do a one hour and fifteen minute lecture. I've never taught before. Argh!

Oh well... time to chill for a bit.

[Sky Masterson]

1. Thats what you get for being so F'n smart

;) :hi:

[CBR]

2. You will be great. I am going in to my third semester TAing and I

used to get extremely nervous before lecturing. I always incorporate YouTube videos or news analysis in to the lecture to reduce the time I am standing up front lecturing. What class is it?

[hunter]

3. A long time ago I was the undergrad from hell.

The first time I got kicked out of school was for fighting with a TA. They made me take an "F" in the class too. (Hey, he was the one throwing stuff at me!!! Of course, I'd interupted him and called his statistics "Bullshit!")

Eventually they let me back into school but I had to explicitly promise I wouldn't provoke, harass, or bother the Teaching Assistants in any way.

"They work hard, they are underpaid, and they are very much underappreciated," the dean told me. Or something like that. Maybe it was more like, "You bother my Teaching Assistants again, Hunter, and your sorry ass is out of here!!!)

Good luck, Writer, and don't take any bullshit from obnoxious undergraduates. I think you'll be a great teacher.

[gmoney]

4. Have you been working on your impenetrable accent?

I think that's a requirement to be a TA, at least as I recall my college days.

[Captain Hilts]

19. We have a winnah!!!! nt

[Randall Flagg]

5. Be careful. I TA'd a English 101 glass for a couple of quarters

and put my own ass in a crack when the proff asked me to give a test to a bunch of freshmen.

This was the first year the English department was set to deal with computers and it was an essay test.

Of course, the printers went off-line and since it was an evening class, there was no one to fix the problem.

I figured since it was an essay and the main reason was to show grammar and syntax usage rather than research skills that the students should just carry their disks home with them and that if anyone cared enough to cheat via cracking a Strunks & White or Holt Handbook, they would end up learning more than they would by the exam.

That's been years ago and I don't think that Professor has forgiven me to this day.

[Captain Hilts]

17. English and language TAs are so screwed over. nt

[elleng]

6. Do chill!

My daughter is teaching her own group, for the first time. She's studying elem/spec ed, and has done 'quasi-teaching' before. NOW she has to do LESSON PLANS!!!! How I wish I could be there!!!

[rockymountaindem]

7. Don't worry about it. I had to teach a whole course last summer with no experience

My department just said "we want you to do this", and since I'd been asking them for work all the time I couldn't really turn them down even though that's not what I expected to get first. So, I had to lecture seven hours a week for six weeks. It was a whole hell of a lot of fun. You'll enjoy it!

Just remember: they don't know near as much as you.

[Captain Hilts]

18. Honest to dog, JVS says that universities give TA's instruction on teaching methods and

so forth!

I was just dropped into the deep end of the pool. I actually got drafted - collared actually - because at UToronto they suddenly needed someone who knew about the US government.

Best thing that ever happened to me. The money was great and the students were fun. And, yes, they adored me.

[Odin2005]

8. AHHHH!!! *SHUDDER*

[MilesColtrane]

9. Well if real life is anything like a low budget, Hollywood exploitation flick, (and I believe it is)

your summer as the "T 'n' A TA" should be fun.

Just look out for guys named Corey, and nerds.

[petronius]

10. Time goes a lot faster when you're teaching than when you're listening

Just repeat yourself a lot, consult your notes, and waste a chunk of time with some 'cutting edge' active learning exercise. Or, just do what I do - show up late and leave early! :)

[Writer]

11. I certainly hope that's the case.

Today I checked my watch throughout the class today... "Only 15 minutes have passed?" I thought. "25?" I was amazed how slow time passed. Then I considered the fact that I'm not standing in front of the class. I'm sure that will be different.

[petronius]

20. It really is a different experience, and different from giving class presentations as well.

I think when you give a student presentation you focus on filling the time and that becomes a stress. When you're lecturing, you focus on the material, and it becomes far easier to talk extensively about something you really know. Just remember that time might be going slower for the students, so break it up with humor, small activities, interactions, and so on.

And, of course, know what you plan to say; practice and review a lot in advance. Make sure your notes are clear and readable (but don't just read from a sheet).

Good luck!

[Quantess]

12. That's a make or break career deal, isn't it?

You either have a degree of success and a degree of appreciation from the students that could be improved upon, or ...not.

I'm just relieved this thread wasn't about Tits & Ass.

[Writer]

13. Well... it's just one class day, so I don't know if I'd say that it's "make or break..." n/t

[Quantess]

14. Is it what you plan to do with your career, or not?

I apologize if I seem blunt. I had a heartbreak because I chose the wrong career.

[Writer]

23. No, I don't intend on pursuing a traditional academic career. n/t

[tango-tee]

15. This is Mom speaking.

You'll do fine. Just fine. Repeat after me.... "I'll do fine. Just fine." Keep repeating.

[Captain Hilts]

16. JVS argues that TA's are given instruction on teaching and lecturing. Here's the key...

I lectured to auditorium classes as a TA and a professor.

First, remember, you're a TA, not a professor. Be professional, but NOT professorial. At a major university, your job is to be the human face on the university, act like a human being, not a snob.

Be approachable. By the time you have this lecture you'll know your students pretty well, so you'll have friendly faces in the class.

If you can use any humor, do so. One great prof at my university told me once to use

I'd do dumbass things like, as a TA I would show up at tests in a tiara - if you're male this might not work - with a wand and tap my students' shoulders as The Good Grade Fairy. Years after I'd left the U, my colleagues told me students would still come in early in the year asking to be in the class with the TA who was the Good Grade Fairy.

If someone asks you a question you're not sure of the answer, tell them "the stupid look I'm giving you is sincere. But I'll find out."

Practice your lecture while jogging or give it to your stuffed animals or something first.

It's not that tough.

[kiva]

21. Story that helped me with lecture anxiety, told to me years ago.

My undergrad adviser, shortly after he started his first job at a college, spilled a cup of coffee in his lap just before his (very large) class. He figured that he would just stay behind the podium and lecture, but he was a pacer - paced back and forth as he lectured - and couldn't get started, said he tried four or five times and couldn't get into the rhythm.

He finally gave up and told his students (over 100, a lecture class) what happened and stepped out from behind the podium. At this point in the story he looked at me and said "You really don't know about embarrassment until you've had a hundred sets of eyes locked on your crotch."

I remembered this story the first time I led discussion groups as a TA, and the first time I taught - I figured nothing that bad would happen to me, and I was right.

Good luck, and I hope you get the good buzz of feeling from teaching in front of the class.

[Captain Hilts]

22. Being male helps. Students are more likely to challenge female TAs. nt