If you don't already know, a TA is a Teacher's Assistant. They are typically a part of large classes, such as Biology or Philosophy classes. They lead recitations and labs, the menial things that the professor doesn't want to do because he/she is too busy doing real research.
Well. I have a problem. Judging by the stories of my father and my brothers, it's genetic so I refuse to take full blame for it (haha)!
You see, when someone is blatantly wrong, I have an irresistible need to correct them, especially if it effects other people. The unfortunate part of this is that I don't have a filter on these corrections... even if it's for someone in higher authority than myself.
In high school I did this a lot. Teachers would write something wrong on the board, or put incorrect grammar in an assignment and I just couldn't stop myself! But back in my hometown, people knew who I was and who my parents were and that I was a generally good kid so they never took offense, they just laughed and chalked it up to another point of Curl-Girl-ness.
TA's do not feel that way. In fact, they get rather upset. You see, I received an email that was sent to my entire recitation group from our TA, who we'll call Antelope (because his name is a similar creature). A fellow student replied (honestly, they should just remove the 'reply all' button) asking about what we should do about the homework due in the next class. Antelope's reply was that we should slip pages blah and blah with the attached questions under the door before we took off for Spring Break if we wanted credit.
Well, that seemed silly to me. Why would we turn something in two weeks earlier than the other 146 kids in Phil 1504? So I sent a message back pointing out that the syllabus stated that the homework wasn't due that early, nor was that the next assignment due, but there was one before it. Perhaps he had meant something else, since we had not learned all of the work required for that particular assignment.
Antelope was not exactly pleased. If I were to translate his email to something a little more polite than his actual message it would say something like:
"Dear Curl Girl,
You are but a young grasshopper, and I am a master. Though you are correct in this instance, you should be aware that masters do not listen to grasshoppers, no matter how correct they may be. I will send out the correction to your fellow grasshoppers, and will expect the assignment on the date established in the syllabus.
-Antelope"
So, crawling back under the rock undergraduates apparently belong, I sent an email back thanking him for being so understanding and
I'm behaving from now on, scared to step out of my little lines for my grade, but I tell you, Antelope better check himself because the last time I checked, lions hit the top of the food chain, and have you SEEN this mane of mine?
Curl Girl, out!
GTAs are to be critiqued, evaluated, judged, questioned, suspected, and, when necessary, corrected. They are just students who are (usually) not much older than you, and they are people too. When the question is posed, and the correction^w suggestion proffered, it should be polite, but confident. The same goes for professors, when needed. If they screw up, and you are wrong because you believed them unquestioningly, it's your fault, not theirs.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, nobody likes to be made fool of in front of underlings, especially underclass underlings. So before you speak up, make damn sure you are right.