“I would attribute much of my success as a TA to the professors I worked with. Having the opportunity to explore and engage with a variety of pedagogical approaches in the seminar classroom was invaluable. Communication with your professor is key. They are a wealth of information and in my experience, have been an amazing resource when I was struggling with time management or working on classroom material.
I would also recommend exploring a few online resources (and books) on teaching at the university level to give you some background and ideas of how you might want to approach your students and TA style. Memorizing students names (when possible) was an asset (especially in large lectures).
Before I began to TA, I was worried students would be disappointed hearing from me. What I quickly discovered was the opposite.They look up to you as a writing mentor. In my experience, students love to hear about your own experiences with writing: the struggles,
the joys, you name it. Share your passions and your own experiences. Have fun! My experience working as a TA invaluable and remains one of the most rewarding experiences I had during my time at UBC.”