04-07-2004, 03:43 AM
Chaerophon,
I feel your pain, but having been on both sides of this, I feel the need to stick up for the TA.
I just finished a BA in biochemistry, but took a huge number of extra biology, chemistry, math and computer science in addition. I encountered more than my fair share of TA's in that time - some good, some bad, some incomprehensible. The low point in my undergraduate carrear was the attempt to explain Kant to my ethics class - the *teacher* a: didn't truly understand Kant (but then who does), and b: could not convey the ideas in english. Not that I know anything about Kant, but at least I could speak in english.
On the flip side of that, I am now a graduate student in chemistry, and was appointed lead TA for the Chemistry for Engineers class. A bit of background here - I tutored frequently as an undergrad, and was often asked why I was not the students' TA - they thought I taught the material better. I am now convinced that much of that praise was due to the fact that I took the time to truly explain a topic. As a TA, there simply was not time for these sorts of in depth explinations.
That Chemistry for Engineers class moved at a pace designed to kill only half the students. My recitations had to be kept to ~45 minutes - barely enough time to touch briefly on three lectures worth of material. I attended lectures, and often answered questions for students who would never have asked the professor - not in a packed 500 person lecture hall, but that only helped the 10 or so students who knew to come ask.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing was the helproom hours. All the TA's held them, but often we would end up doing our own homework, as almost no one would seek us out for help.
My point here is that it is extremely easy to become jaded when you are genuinely trying to help, and cannot. I make no excuses for those TA's who are completely clueless, but beg you to remember that most TA's are thurst into their role as a teacher with little or no experience. The good ones should at least be willing to help you if you go ask - they'll be so overjoyed to see genuine interest instead of point-mongering and other grumbles about grades that they will go out of their way to help. If they are not completely closed minded, you can even provide constructive criticism on their teaching style.
I would love to see all TA's TAing because they want to, not because the department requires it. I know that will never happen, and as a result there will always be bad TA's. Some of them will go on to become bad profs. Some of them will be unavoidable. But search out the good ones, and make the most of your time with them - you can learn much.
Now the Registrar's office? Don't have a single good thing to say about them...:angry:
-V-
I feel your pain, but having been on both sides of this, I feel the need to stick up for the TA.
I just finished a BA in biochemistry, but took a huge number of extra biology, chemistry, math and computer science in addition. I encountered more than my fair share of TA's in that time - some good, some bad, some incomprehensible. The low point in my undergraduate carrear was the attempt to explain Kant to my ethics class - the *teacher* a: didn't truly understand Kant (but then who does), and b: could not convey the ideas in english. Not that I know anything about Kant, but at least I could speak in english.
On the flip side of that, I am now a graduate student in chemistry, and was appointed lead TA for the Chemistry for Engineers class. A bit of background here - I tutored frequently as an undergrad, and was often asked why I was not the students' TA - they thought I taught the material better. I am now convinced that much of that praise was due to the fact that I took the time to truly explain a topic. As a TA, there simply was not time for these sorts of in depth explinations.
That Chemistry for Engineers class moved at a pace designed to kill only half the students. My recitations had to be kept to ~45 minutes - barely enough time to touch briefly on three lectures worth of material. I attended lectures, and often answered questions for students who would never have asked the professor - not in a packed 500 person lecture hall, but that only helped the 10 or so students who knew to come ask.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing was the helproom hours. All the TA's held them, but often we would end up doing our own homework, as almost no one would seek us out for help.
My point here is that it is extremely easy to become jaded when you are genuinely trying to help, and cannot. I make no excuses for those TA's who are completely clueless, but beg you to remember that most TA's are thurst into their role as a teacher with little or no experience. The good ones should at least be willing to help you if you go ask - they'll be so overjoyed to see genuine interest instead of point-mongering and other grumbles about grades that they will go out of their way to help. If they are not completely closed minded, you can even provide constructive criticism on their teaching style.
I would love to see all TA's TAing because they want to, not because the department requires it. I know that will never happen, and as a result there will always be bad TA's. Some of them will go on to become bad profs. Some of them will be unavoidable. But search out the good ones, and make the most of your time with them - you can learn much.
Now the Registrar's office? Don't have a single good thing to say about them...:angry:
-V-