In my last learning log, I talked about how I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Since then things have calmed down a bit, as my schedule has become less busy. Professor Pleydell and I are almost finished with all of the English 101 assignments for the semester. We both have been very impressed with the dedication of our students. Due to Professor Pleydell’s injury, I have had to lead a few classes alone, which has been a very rewarding experience. I was surprised that I was able to fill the entire class period with my lesson plan. I also got a lot of positive feedback from my students, which made me feel accomplished. I also am very happy with the relationships my students and I are forming. During my office hours, a few students came in for help and ended up staying longer just to chat. I have gotten a few inquiries about being a TA from my students. I have encouraged them to reach out to Professor Pleydell about it. I think about the presentation about prejudice in the classroom a lot. Luckily, I think my classroom is a very safe and open space, but the gallery walk from that presentation really stands out in my mind. Being a TA this semester has taken a lot of work, but it has been completely worth it. Professor Pleydell has asked me to be her TA for next semester. It will be her last semester teaching English101. I happily accepted her offer and cannot wait to do this all again in the spring. At this point of the semester, I finally felt like I knew what I was doing as a UTA. I was continuously impressed by the efforts of my students and I still am. Due to Professor Pleydel's absences, I ended up leading many classes on my own. The first day she told me I had to do this, I was incredibly nervous. Afterward, my students thanked me for the class and told me they had a good grasp on the assignments. I was so relieved and excited to know that maybe I wasn't so terrible at this whole UTA thing after all. By this time we also had begun to transition into student presentations, rather than Lyra's lectures. Because we have such a small class, I was very interested to see everyone's presentations. Nancy's group still stands out the most to me. It is such a relevant time to address the issues that Nancy and her group presented.
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In my first learning log, I raved about how much I was loving being a UTA. I still think it is a great experience, however, it has become more challenging throughout the semester. As I struggle to keep up my own grades, it can feel like a lot of pressure to help other student’s find success too. I am trying my best to balance it all, I know that as soon as midterms pass everything will be back to normal. My relationship with Professor Pleydell is great! I feel like I can be very honest with her. She is super supportive with my efforts not only for her class, but my major and my own classes too! The students in the section I TA for are fantastic. They always reach out for help and there is always a lot of energy in the classroom. Professor Pleydell and I are expecting lots of A’s for this class. I am jealous and wish I had had such interactive peers for when I took the course! Professor Pleydell mentioned in one of the classes that this will probably be one of her last semesters teaching, and that just broke my heart! She is so amazing, and I would 100% UTA for her again. This ENGL101 course keeps me “hip to the times”, as my grandmother would say. I love how I am learning about what is going on in the world of technology while I am grading papers. At this point of the semester, I found myself struggling to keep up with my school work, as it was the middle of midterms. I had trouble balancing my responsibilities as a UTA and a student. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have amazing students and Professor Pleydel who understood this. Something I wish I had elaborated more on this learning log, was how wonderful it is to have a course that focuses on a wide variety of topics all focused around the future. I learned so much from reading my students' papers. I found grading papers and helping students very enjoyable because I would absorb so much information about advances of technology.
Being an UTA has been exactly as I expected it to be. I remember the work that my UTA from last year did, and so far, I have completed similar tasks to the ones she did. I wasn’t anticipating having as many clingy students as I do. Many of my students message me several time a day, just to make sure they are on track. While I find it flattering that they can rely on me for help with their work, this can be rather overwhelming. I spoke to Professor Pleydell about this, and she said to keep my responses short and sweet. Professor Pleydell is the most magnificent woman to be a TA for. She completely understands that my classes come first, but she gives me enough work so that I am always in the loop with the class. She does a great job of reassuring me that I did a good job last semester and that I am ready to teach. I love the 388v section. It is a great place to talk about my experiences as a TA, and I always leave the classroom feeling so inspired, especially because it is so different than my science courses. I feel comfortable talking to anyone in 388V/ Prof. Pleydell about anything that I may need help with. So far, my experience as a ENGL101 TA has been nothing but positive. I cannot wait for the rest of the semester to come. I remember in this moment I was so happy as a UTA. I still am! I was beginning to find my "groove" and building comfortable relationships with my students. Additionally, it is still true that 388v is an extremely helpful aspect of being a UTA. It was so nice to have an opportunity to heir my grievances with my peers, but most importantly, to develop solutions and share advice. I think continued to grow and become a better TA because of the conversations my peers in 388V and I had.At this point of the semester, I had my wisdom teeth removed, so I missed one class. In the class that I missed second semesters TA's came in to give advice, and I so badly wish I was there for that session. I heard such positive things about that class throughout the semester. Hopefully, I will learn what this class is like next year, when I ma a second semester UTA.
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