A First Time Teacher's Assistant

Alexi Edmonds, a junior at the University of Iowa recently began preparing for her first semester of being a teacher’s assistant. The opportunity came about as she was nearing the end of her first semester of junior year. Her professor pulled her in and asked if she’d be interested in being a teacher’s assistant for the following semester. Edmonds accepted the position immediately. “I thought it was an exciting opportunity!” She exclaimed when speaking on her initial thoughts of the new position. Though she quickly accepted the position, she was originally nervous. However, through time, she has allowed the excitement to take over.

The position will last the length of one semester, and even though it is not a paid job there are still many benefits. Edmonds is required to be present in the class two days a week and will be provided with an office where she will be available two days a week for two hour periods. To some, not getting paid may make the position feel lesser in value. However, Edmonds will still receive a grade in the class. This grade affects her GPA and will also be worth college credit.

“Professors can seem too intimidating.” Edmonds explained when asked why she believes teacher assistants can be so helpful. She admitted that as a college student, she has taken use of the TA’s in her classrooms before and finds them very helpful.

As a former student in this exact class, Edmonds believes the students who accept the assistance from her will ultimately do better in the class. “I feel like anyone who takes  advantage of it will benefit from it because it will help them understand the content of the course. However, it will only help if they have the motivation to accept the opportunity.” Edmonds is excited to provide the students with help and clarity in regards to the course.

What she looks forward to most is to help the students gain more from the course than she did. She explained, “I want to help other students write better papers and [create] better projects than I was able to.” Her ultimate goal is to feel as if she helped at least one student. After that, she believes she will have accomplished what she went in aspiring for. “I will feel I’ve done my job if I was able to help at least one student.”