"Best GSI in existence" ??

Today was the last day of class for both my Stat 2 sections (1pm and 2pm). It was as I expected. Lots of clapping from my 1pm section and nothing from my 2pm section. Everyone had told me before about how sections can act wildly different from each other. All semester, I joked with my students in 1pm; they answered all my questions thoughtfully, they paid attention... Then 1 hour later, I'd be in my "zombie" section : 2pm. All I'd get are mostly stares at even the easiest questions. It didn't matter that I had practiced my spiel in the previous section to perfection; I felt like I was talking to myself a lot and smiling like an idiot while I waited for someone to say something, anything!

Anyways, I do love teaching. I love my students. I never heard a complaint.

* One student on Monday ran and gave me a hug to thank me, thinking that Monday was the last day. And then I told her, "See you on Wednesday." But it was very nice nonetheless.

* One student gave me some candy and the nicest message in a thank you card! Apparently and from my own personal experience, sometimes the little things that a TA does to or for you will make the biggest impact on you but the TA himself/herself doesn't even realize. So I usually bump into a lot of my students (most of the time when I eat at the dorms...), and I'm always very happy to see them. And I guess this one time I bumped into one of my students and I just casually chatted with her, but to her, it made such an impact that it made her comfortable and encouraged her to come to section more often. heh... I had no idea other undergrads would have been as weird as I was as an undergrad.

Some notes from this semester of teaching:

* I always wrote my name, email and office hours on the board every section. This comes from what David did.

* I told them what I was going to do, I did it, and then I told them what I just did. I hate it when anyone just plugs and chugs and out pops a number that no one knows where or why it came about.

* I replied to all student emails ASAP; one of my students exclaimed today, "She emailed me back in only 4 minutes!" (and 4 minutes doesn't even beat the current record of 1 minute...)

* I'm never late to section; in fact, one of my students got annoyed a little cuz I showed up to quiz day too early.

* I never (hopefully) make them feel stupid when they come to office hours.

* I try to make them feel better about grades and perhaps give them a more enlightening perspective on them.

* I let them know that I'm just a regular person who can't even do basic math. Yes, that was me who pulled out a calculator to find 71/.1 or told a student that square root of 1000 is 10.

* My blackboard organization is terrific, if I may say so. =) I always write the page and problem number. I organize all the data from the problem neatly and move in longitudinally before laterally on the board. I divide all problems with separator lines. And if I'm not hurrying too fast, I have neat, huge handwriting.

* I remembered all their names (~80) early on, even if they never showed up to office hours or talked to me in person. You give me any first name and I can give you a last name. One girl had attended my very first section ever and then decided to switch to another lecture entirely. After a few weeks, she showed up to my office hours anyways. She told me her first name, and I immediately responded with her last name. Boy, did that freak her out; it sort of freaked me out too. I can be so scary sometimes...


That's all I can think of for now... must keep improving; the first time will never be the best time. One thing I have been guilty of is:

* Erasing the board with sideway motions instead of vertical. Berkeley never trained me on that regard though UCLA TAs have often told me not to. Hopefully no one is looking. ;o)