To my great relief, my first TA evaluations came back with–dare I say it?–glowing reviews. Partly, I think, this occurred because I had terrific students. I heard horror stories about other sections and thanked my lucky stars that my students were generally sweet, accommodating, and engaged. Having students that are willing to give you a break makes teaching much easier.
I can already tell that this term’s students are not going to be as pleasant. I am already undergoing an email war with a student who thinks the assignments (not my decision, anyway) are unreasonable. There is also some sullen staring (and NAPPING!) in one of my sections. I may have to break out the cattle prod.
I also feel less comfortable with the material, which is fascinating but outside my field of study. Prep time has increased.
Overall I found the evaluation process quite interesting. Inevitably there are the one or two disgruntled students (one can tell exactly who they are). It’s amazing how positive evaluations correspond with the highest grades, which suggests to me that the main problems lie less with the TA/professor and more with the students’ motivation to work (or not).
On a related note, I really enjoy MTV’s Professors Strike Back clips, wherein profs respond to reviews on ratemyprofessor.com. The professor in the bunny suit is the best, hands down.
