Many of us are looking for more ways to enjoy our time at home in these stressful circumstances. Some of us have turned to books. But how can we make sure we get the most out of them?
If you don’t like to choose characters as inspiration, choose an aesthetic. This gives you somehow more freedom with how you do things and it might reduce anxiety if you feel guilty that you can’t be like your favorite character.
Some examples:
Wanna study? Try thinking you’re a Ravenclaw. What would Ravenclaws do? (Or choose your own house, all houses have their own way of studying that fits them)
Wanna eat healthier? Think you’re a witch who lives in a cottage in a magical forest. Or an elf. Or any aesthetic to like.
I recently started graduate school and have been very fortunate to land a TA, or teaching assistant, position! I help teach three sections of an undergraduate introductory science course.
It’s been about a month of being a TA, and whew… it’s a lot of work! Here’s what I want you all, as undergraduate students, to know:
I’m a college student too. Like you, I am here at this university to study. I may be at the graduate level, but I still have classes to attend, assignments to complete, research to participate in, etc just like you. I am not at your beck and call, and cannot be expected to respond to emails immediately, unfortunately. I try to reply to emails within 1 business day.
I don’t know everything about this class topic. Yes, I have a background in the subject and was chosen from the applicant pool to be a TA. But that does not mean I know the answers to every question you have about the material. I will do my best to answer or point you to good resources, though. But please don’t expect that I’m a walking encyclopedia! I’m finding that I get very specific questions or “what if” questions - and I love it! But just know many times this may not be within the scope of this course.
I have imposter syndrome. I’m not sure how I got admitted as a graduate student. I’m not sure how I was chosen to be a TA. I still feel very unqualified in many aspects of my life!
We are not necessarily close with the professor. We likely have meetings with the professor weekly to discuss things, but it’s a very professional friendly relationship. TAs are not necessarily chosen because they work in the same field or research lab as the professor; certainly not me!
As a first-time TA, know I’m anxious before each section I teach! Try to be understanding and have patience. I’m doing my best! If a TA has taught before, they are likely more experienced and less likely to get flustered.
Grading actually takes … a while. Don’t expect your papers to get graded ASAP. I have 3 lab sections to teach, and it’s about 80 students total for me. That’s 80 assignments I have to grade… every week.
Understand that being a TA is much more than teaching a section and grading papers each week. I have to attend a required teaching pedagogy course (on top of my busy coursework!), weekly TA meetings with the professor, host weekly office hours, spend hours before section to prepare, respond to student emails which range from anxiety/mental health issues to wifi problems to confusion over a topic, etc. PLUS, throw in COVID-19 right now and it can get hectic! I’m at 20 units this quarter! I know not all TAs are this busy (some are in their last quarter, or just focusing on research) but just a FYI!
Why do we want to TA? Benefits include great experience, tuition remission, networking, etc. Receiving a TA position gives you amazing experience to interact with students to teach them a topic you’re (hopefully) passionate (or at least, proficient) at. It looks great on a resume, plus it doesn’t hurt that most TA positions offer fee remissions. AKA most of your fees for the quarter/semester are paid as a result of your employment AND you get a monthly salary on top of that. It’s not “cushy”, it’s appropriate given the amount of work. Lastly, the chance to network with professors and leaders of the field is amazing too!
Please participate in class! It’s really awkward for us when we do our best to teach, and … no one participates. Or students do the bare minimum. If it feels awkward for you, trust me, it’s awkward for me too.
Many times, the class is structured and formatted in a specific way and the TA is just a facilitator. I’m very fortunate that the course I help teach is very structured: specific powerpoints, assignments, worksheets, homework problems, etc. I do not really have a say in how the lesson planning of the overall class. I have more say in the individual sections I lead, but even then I have to abide by certain rules (no recording of lecture, no posting of powerpoints, etc), use specific powerpoints (I can add my own slides, or modify a little bit), etc so that there is consistency between all TAs. That makes sense, right?
tldr; Being a TA is a lot of work. Since becoming one, I honestly have had a shift in how I formerly thought of TAs… I find there are ups and downs to being a TAs but overall my experience has been positive. But just know, we are people too! We have other responsibilities and we get stressed out too! :)
get plenty of rest, but not too much. you should be getting 6-8 hours of sleep. don’t mess up your sleeping schedule with staying up late and/or sleeping for too long. wake up at a reasonable time.
catch up on tv shows/watch Netflix. you’ve worked hard this semester, reward yourself and fulfill your craving of Netflix and tv shows.
assigned readings. if you know of any assigned readings, make sure you do them asap. that way you can be prepared and relax for the rest of the break.
read for fun. make sure you are finding joy in reading books that you enjoy or genuinely have an interest in. reading for an assignment or a grade can be exhausting so remember how it feels to read for fun.
clean and reorganize. (if you’re anything like me, i actually enjoy cleaning and reorganizing. I literally clean and reorganize every other day.) redo your desk space, your pencil cases, your bag, anything! also go ahead and start planning next semester’s schedule.
catch up with old friends and keep in touch with new ones. being on break is fun. you have a bunch of time so why not reconnect with friends you didn’t get to see at college or were too busy to see during your semester. also keep in touch with those new friends. (I know I definitely miss my roommates and my friends a bunch already so I’ve been facetiming and snapchatting them a bunch!)
exercise. make sure you’re taking care of yourself during break and maintaining your physical health and eating healthy!
self care. take this time to make sure not only your physical health is well, but focus on your mental health. focus on yourself and what you need.
create something. art, music, anything! don’t lose your creative side and reconnect with it while you have time.
try picking up a new hobby or learning something new. and if you already have a wide array of hobbies, focus on those. learn something new, it doesn’t have to be academic, it could be learning an instrument or how to bake or writing. virtually anything you’re interested in!
I hope everyone enjoys their breaks and happy holidays! I know I’m already enjoying my break, but I can’t wait to get back to school and really start up my studyblr with all of my notes and school work.
