Tuesday hosted two minor accomplishments: the weekly TA meeting was by far the fastest one ever with little tangents, and class discussion went really well. I felt confident, especially since I was really helping some of the students. Then Thursday, I completely shut down. Everything just hit me. I couldn't focus and couldn't give the students proper attention during discussion. That's pretty much the only thing I really have to do, and I failed at that. Woops. The transition from vacation mode to school mode was oddly difficult. I shall do what I am supposed to do at a regular job and leave all the personal stuff outside the door and put my game face on. Time to get my meditation on and start making things happen.
This week, we actually taught! Just kidding. We always teach, sometimes. In Tuesday's lesson, the students had an in-class assignment in which they had to bring dead constructions to life. I thought it was the easiest assignment ever, but some students found it difficult. Many thought they had it, but when I asked the, to show me what they had, they were changing good constructions to worse ones! The fact that I succeeded in helping them learn something made me really happy. It's good for my ego. A student made me realize that when it is time for me to go around and check on students, I tend to go to the students I know best first. She told me, jokingly I hope, to go away and interact with students I don't know. Funny thing is I don't know that particular student that well, but I know the others in her group. Either way, I guess I should stop going there first. My interesting week included establishing what kind of relationship I, as the TA, should have with the students. In between classes last week, I decided to interact with a student I wasn't that fond of so I can develop some sort of relations with him and understand him a little better. He may or may not have taken it the wrong way, so I had to find the proper wording so I wouldn't offend him. It wasn't easy, since it took him a while to get the point. I sincerely wish that situation is now in the clear, and I have learned that I must work on how my interactions with others should be as clear as I intend for them to be.
Yes, I said it. Being "mean" can be fun, cool and sometimes the best thing to do. Honesty can sound harsh, but does that really mean being "mean?" So far, that's one thing being a TA has taught me.
It's not what you say, but how you say it.
One way I learned this was when I noticed a student "double-dipping," which is frowned upon in the journalism department. Pretty much, it means you can't use one assignment for two separate grades, especially in separate classes. So, I emailed this student to explain why this was wrong. I asked the individual to take it down and write another blog post, and I said that I would talk to the teacher about it. Although the teacher didn't care much, it took a lot for me to send that email. I didn't want to get the student in trouble, but if I hadn't said anything to the professor, I would've felt like I was lying. Also, I wanted the student to trust me as someone that is there to help, but I wanted the professor to trust that I could take initiative and show responsibility. All in all, I think that I did the right thing without being mean about it or compromising anyone's trust. I felt really good about myself after that, especially when the student showed appreciation for my efforts. Another test of this was when the professor put me in charge of the discussion when students read their stories aloud. [Side note: The professor lied when he said he would leave his commentary at a minimum.] Not only did I have to put certain students on the spot, but I had to get the students to participate in feedback as well. I wanted it to be random, but I also did not want all of the people whose stories I knew were going to be good go first so that those whose stories weren't that great would not feel that bad about it. Everyone had some sort of excuse before reading their stories, like "Oh, I wrote this last minute," or "It's not that good." It annoyed me after it became a routine, especially because I knew that we wouldn't be able to get through everyone's, and they were wasting time. So, I cut them off to say, "Yeah, yeah. Just read." Everyone laughed. But it was true! Maybe kind of rude, but they really shouldn't be ashamed of their work. So, the teacher already knows I can get quite sassy. However, I think it can be advantageous, especially in the classroom. I just have to balance between being honest without being rude and being honest but still encouraging. That day, I honestly wondered what the teacher would do without me, since he's afraid of being mean. He shouldn't be. For your entertainment: An example of a mean minion
