About to step into a university classroom as an instructor for the first time? Feeling overwhelmed and underconfident¹? You are not alone! Read on to hear advice and tales of both triumph and tragedy from fellow TAs who have been where you are and lived to tell the tale. 

 

I began drafting this post by searching for a stock photo that would best represent that lovely New-TA Impostor Syndrome feeling. However, nothing quite captured the specific sensation of stomach-churning fear mixed with feigned professional confidence, perhaps accentuated by an imposing academic structure.

Then I recalled this social media post from my first day as a TA Instructor:

That’s what I was looking for.

As noted in the caption above, I did make it through my first day. Then more days. None of the students called my bluff, and I have now enjoyed two years of masquerading as a responsible adult  composition instruction at the university. 

One of the most helpful resources available to a new TAs to will be your community of fellow TAs. As representatives of the University of Arkansas Graduate Students in English organization, we would like to offer you some community support by way of a Q and A post. We put our heads together, remembered our own questions and concerns when we began teaching, and assembled a spectrum of perspectives on policies, classroom management, first days, and fumbles. 

Welcome to the club! You’re going to be amazing!

Q: What does a first day in your classroom look like?

I always start off by introducing myself and trying to get to know my students. Often that means asking students a low-stakes question (like “What was the last thing you binge-watched?” or “What’s the last movie you saw?”). I always start and always say something true but dorky (“I just binge-watched every season of Star Trek: The Next Generation!) so that they know they can’t be embarrassed by their answer. After going over the syllabus, I also like to have them write a diagnostic essay that is about them, which again feels very low-stakes and helps me get to know them better.

-Kristen F. 

It depends on what class I am teaching. However, I make sure to do an ice-breaker. I typically ask them to tell me their name, major, and the last t.v show they binge-watched after answering those questions myself. It is always good to remind them you are also an actual human who watches “Bob’s Burgers” religiously.

-Gracie B. 

It can be bananas. It’s devoted to the syllabus and the diagnostic writing. I try to have ice breaker style topics for the diagnostic – what superpower would you like to have and why; what would be your ideal summer break before starting college; if travel to other planets were possible and easy where would you go, what would you do, and why. Keep it light the first day.

-Sharla F.

The first day in my classroom is primarily introductory. I make sure the students know who I am, I have them introduce themselves so I can begin learning names, we go over the super important parts of the syllabus so they know what to expect, and we always do at least a little writing so that they know we will be writing consistently in this class. My first day is also purposely very structured so that students can begin to understand my goals/expectations for the semester.

Jordan S.

I start by introducing myself. (Don’t feel like you need to tell them it is your first time teaching! Need to know, my friend…)

Next, I explain that, since sharing writing with others is a very vulnerable thing, it helps if we can get to know each-other. We do an ice-breaker name game. After that I go through the syllabus and my policies, and then we’ll either do a random diagnostic essay (try incorporating a Jack Handey Deep Thought into the prompt…) or I’ll overview where the course is heading.

Most importantly, I stop often for questions: “What questions do you have?” instead of “Do you have any questions?” I tell them repeatedly how much I love questions because questions let me know what they need.

-Dana B. 

Going over the syllabus and ice breaker games. I try to keep it very simple so that they don’t get more overwhelmed than they will already be due to the syllabus. I also like to give them note cards to put their names and some sort of interesting fact, such as their favorite book, on so that on future days of class I can call on them randomly and start to learn their names.

Addison C.

I have my students sit in a circle and introduce themselves. We also talk about class policies, and expectations (both mine and theirs).

Gwendolyn M. 

Q:  What is your current attendance/late-work/technology/etc. policy? What makes it a good policy for you?

I have a pretty lax attendance policy as I will excuse absences if students have good reasons and inform me that they will be missing class. My late work policy is on the opposite end of the spectrum: I only accept major assignments late (there are no makeup quizzes, in class writing, etc.) and when a major assignment is late the students have one week to turn it in for a maximum of 75% of the points. I balance this with a clear and often expressed willingness to discuss extensions if they know they will need more time.

The only other interesting policy I have is an email policy that creates blackout hours for myself that I will not be answering student emails and that they understand from the beginning (and the syllabus) the times I will be in communication with them. This works really well for me because I began my work as a TA believing I needed to be available at all hours of the day and night for my students and this policy helps me to carve out space for me and gives students a clear idea of how/when I will be available. It also gives me a chance to talk about self care and scheduling time for work/down time/etc. without it seeming to be out of the blue.

-Jordan S. 

They have three unexcused absences, and then their grade is deducted two points for every absence after the third. My attendance policy is pretty lax as far as what counts as an “excused” absence, but it hasn’t always been that way. I have had several students tell me they can’t afford to go to the doctor for a doctor’s note or that they needed a mental health day but couldn’t afford to go to a therapist. As long as the student is communicating with me, I work with them as best as I can. Many of our students are paying for college on their own (tuition, textbooks, food, housing, etc), and I think that is important to keep in mind. Ultimately, you need to decide a policy that works for you. Whatever it is, BE CONSISTENT.

-Gracie B. 

I allow a number of unexcused absences equal to the number of classes we have a week (two or three). I count off 5% of their final grade for each subsequent absence, but I am very lenient with what I allow as an excused absence. This means the 5% really only punishes students who don’t care about justifying why they missed my class. For late work, I count off 5% for every day the assignment is late, because they have plenty of time to turn things in early. After one week, I no longer accept submissions, giving anyone who hasn’t done the work a zero, because I’ve had students who turn in assignments two and a half weeks late. Like attendance, I will listen to students who have valid excuses for turning something in late, but I am less lenient.

-Addison C.

My late work policy is as follows: “Late assignments will have a penalty of ten percentage points deducted for every day that they are late. After a week has passed they will no longer be accepted. If you know you need to miss class you must turn in any assignments due on that day ahead of time. Emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.” This policy works for me because it shows students that turning things in is very important – they don’t want their grade for the assignment to drop by a whole grade level for turning something in a day late. I of course make exceptions for illness and other emergencies, which is why I have the “emergency” clause in there.

Gwendolyn M.

Attendance: I use the word “may” on my syllabus: “Any unexcused absences beyond these 2 flex days may result in a 3% grade reduction per extra unexcused absence at the end of the semester.” Then they have the fear in them for motivation, and I don’t have to count attendance against them in the end.

Late work: I explain clearly on day one that I am very strict regarding late work- they have 24 hrs after the deadline to get a major assignment in for a 10% deduction, because life happens. After that I don’t accept anything for a grade. However, I am also sure to emphasize how willing I am to work with students and deadlines if they communicate any unusual circumstances with me before a deadline. 

Most importantly- BE CONSISTENT!!!  I am only willing to bend rules for one person if I would do the same for anyone else in their position. It’s a balancing act between being kind and being fair.

-Dana B. 

Technology is laptops and without a CEA accommodation, you use them when I say. Phones are definite no-go. They cost an unexcused absence. In the bag. On silent.

Late work is only accepted with prior agreement.

Four unexcused per semester, and then they cost 2 points.

I underline all of this attendance and late work stuff with a strict communication policy. I tell them to email me no matter what the reason because I don’t really need one. What I need is communication. They would have to be accountable for their absence from a job, and this is no different.

Sharla F.

Attendance: I allow three absences and then start marking off a half-letter grade per absence. When you have a student not show up for class, make a note of it on your to-do list and e-mail them at the end of the week (it’s a pain and you shouldn’t have to do it, but freshmen particularly sometimes need the reminder that they’re not invisible and they matter).

Late-work: I don’t accept late work, period. On my syllabus. HOWEVER, I do two things to avoid the “It’s just this one time, it’ll never happen again, my computer exploded, my life exploded” stuff. 1) I allow students a “late pass,” which they can use ON or BEFORE the due date. It gives them an automatic 72-hour extension and usually derails any begging. 2) I don’t do this since I instituted the late pass policy, but if a student asks for an extension (no matter how dumb the excuse sounds), you can always ask them to send you what they have so far. If they have something promising, you can give them an extension or grade what they have so far. If they have nothing, then I often feel that that’s a reflection of poor time management rather than life getting in their way.

Technology: I don’t fight the cell phones, but I am not shy about asking students to put them away, either. I will sometimes ask students to put computer lids down when I am lecturing or if I need to make an announcement.

Kristen F. 

Q:  There is one of you and there are nearly twenty of them. How do you handle classroom management issues? (Talking, cell phone use, respect, etc.)

I have found that being extremely clear about my expectations on that first day and in the syllabus is really helpful. I have a classroom etiquette policy that I stick to very closely. Ultimately, as much as syllabus policies help, you will have an encounter with a student that will probably rattle your confidence or your level of preparedness. When this happens, I take a deep breath and use a two warning process. The first time it happens, I tell the student that their behavior is not acceptable. The second time it happens, I ask the student to leave for the day. The biggest piece of advice I would give other TAs about classroom management is to do your best to maintain a healthy level of emotional labor in the classroom and with your students.

-Gracie B. 

I try to be fair in my classrooms and tend to ignore small issues of cell phone use or talking among themselves if it is short and voluntarily ends quickly. When I have to manage their actions I remind them what we are doing, why we are doing it, and redirect their attention to the task at hand. Using body language and space specifically works wonders — usually all you really have to do is stand behind a student who is doing something undesirable and they will notice you and stop doing it – for me this is the least disruptive way to manage class and not have to stop class to do so.

-Jordan S. 

Be open with the students about your rules on talking, cell phones, respect, etc. On the first day be clear about your expectations and theirs. Later one, don’t feel bad about reminding them of the rules when they break them.

-Addison C.

The best piece of classroom management advice I EVER got was: Don’t take anything personally. En masse, your students almost never intend to be disrespectful.

Talking while you’re talking/talking too loud as a group: If they’re working in groups and you want to get their attention, either play music and pause it when you want them to stop OR flicker the lights. Otherwise, stop talking and stare at the students who are chatting during your lecture or whatever. Usually another student will tell them to stop.

Cell phones: I don’t fight this too hard, anymore. Students know that they should take calls outside. If they’re on their phone too much, check in with them. Sometimes they’re looking up something you’re talking about, looking at their textbook, or making note of something on their calendar. If they’re getting out of control with it, don’t be self-conscious about asking them to stop.

Disrespectful students: I have rarely had students get intentionally disrespectful with me. I have had students act very entitled and disgruntled before, but this is often more about them than me (“I shouldn’t have to take this course” or “My grade isn’t fair, because I worked very hard”). Listen to their complaints when it seems reasonable, use “I” statements if you feel like justifying your reasoning, if they get ugly, tell them that they should leave. Here’s a script: “I hear what you’re saying, but I’m feeling as though your tone is going to make talking about this productively difficult. Let’s talk again after class on Thursday, when you perhaps feel able to talk to me with a more respectful tone. If you don’t think that’s possible, I can send you the e-mail for my supervisor.” And, always ask the comp department for advice with problem students.

Kristen F.

Guilt. And shame. Cell phone use is covered in my syllabus. I don’t call them out for it. I just mark it. Talking in class is something I have no qualms about using guilt and shame. I have stood silently in front of the class waiting for private conversations to end, drawing the entire class room’s attention to the private convo. I have stopped and said things like “as soon as you’re done, we can continue” My last resort is to bring the class into it: it’s disrespectful to disrupt a thing everyone is paying for. I usually don’t have to resort to all three. I had one student in three years have a respect problem with me, and he was intimidating and scary a bit. The PRC office will always have your back. Always

-Sharla F. 

I know them all by name and try to use their names; it builds rapport and lets them know that not only do you care, but you see them. I also talk about my expectations on the first day, and halfway through the semester in almost every class I remind everyone about my cell phone policy (phones are only for class-related use). I also ask them to put all electronics away sometimes for certain activities. Keeping people involved, calling on them by name, and wandering the room usually helps avoid any major issues. If I have any students that are making me uncomfortable or causing issues (very rare!), I will go talk to someone in the PRC to make them aware of the situation and/or ask for advice.

Dana B.

My electronics policy is as follows: “Being present means more than simply showing up. You must be prepared with the appropriate materials, and you must be focused on the task at hand. Cell phones must be on silent and out of reach at all times, to minimize distractions. Use of computers or tablets for any purpose other than accessing course materials will not be tolerated, unless you need them for special circumstances. Please see me if this applies to you. Unauthorized use will result in an unexcused absence.”

I personally get very distracted when I see my students on their phones, and I know other students get distracted when someone in front of them is on a computer checking Facebook, so my policy is strict. I make announcements at the beginning of class every day for the first few weeks of the semester to remind them of this policy. I also walk around the classroom to see what my students are viewing on their computers. I give one warning (in class and via email, so there is a record of this) before penalizing them for unauthorized use (again, accompanied by an email so there is a record). After a while they get used to it and I don’t have to remind them anymore.

Gwendolyn M. 

Q:  You have a potentially daunting 50-75 minute window of time to fill in a class.

How do you gauge the time an activity or discussion will take? Is it hard to fill up all the time, or do you have trouble fitting everything in before time runs out?

Almost everything takes longer than I think it will. Except discussion. Trying to get the students to talk can be like pulling teeth, so I don’t count on that to fill time. I also schedule a couple of extra things toward the end of class that are “optional,” meaning if I don’t get to them it will be ok, but I have them as backup in case a discussion or other activity fails. Something like a 5-minute writing prompt, or a small-group discussion question.

-Gwendolyn M. 

In my experience, you will either prepare too much or not enough and it is hard to judge which it will be ahead of time because it is often up to the students and their engagement. Don’t feel bad about letting the students out a bit early once in a while if there is nothing left to do or taking the full time when you need it. Also, when determining how long an activity will take, always set aside more time than you think you will need, because activities always take more time than you think they will.

-Addison C 

Both- either- you’ll get a feel for it! I think the most important thing to remember with time is to not let your lesson plan and schedule trump the students’ needs. When my mentor came to class for an observation, I had a fabulous activity planned; however, my students had questions about a completely different concept. I threw out the plan and we did a random Q and A, group discussion, and class activity on the fly. It wasn’t perfect, but my students were happy to give me some grace since they knew I was addressing their concerns off the top of my head. My students left feeling way more confident about an important concept, and my mentor was glad I made the choice to throw my original lesson plan out the window.

-Dana B.

At this point it is not hard to gauge the time an activity will take, but always plan on giving students at least 2-3 more minutes than you think you would need for each part of an activity especially if it involves a lot of full class discussion as they will often be slow to do that early in the course. I usually have trouble fitting in everything I want to do, but it also means I have options if something doesn’t go as planned or falls through entirely. Also they may be college students but they still love getting to write on the board – I often begin full class discussions by having groups brainstorm and then add their ideas to the board to be discussed.

Jordan S.

Stopwatch app on my phone. I used it to train myself. Now I sort of know how long things take. I leave it on my desk on silent and just keep an eye on it.

-Sharla F. 

I try to break my day’s activities into 10-20 minute chunks, and I try to think of the chunks like this: Introduction to day’s concept, lecture, activity, discussion, reflection. Sometimes you can’t get through all of that! That’s the ideal situation, because you can always drop the discussion or reflection chunk or pick it up on the following class. If you get through it too fast, have students get into groups and discuss their drafts-in-progress or brainstorm. Or, ask them to write.

Kristen F.

Q:  Not if, but when… We all have (and will have) many times when we fall flat. Describe a time when you fell flat: an activity flopped, discussion was dead, technology failed, etc. How did you recover?

I once tried to lead a discussion on a homework reading that nobody in the class had read. It was obvious they didn’t know what I was talking about and when I asked them directly they were kind enough to admit they hadn’t read. I let them know that I was disappointed, gave a very boring summary of the reading, and let them go early. It wasn’t my best work, I will admit. In hindsight, I feel like you can never go wrong with a surprise reading quiz, as long as you tell them it is a possibility on day one. Also, never try to summarize a reading they should have done for homework on the spot, because it is usually going to be boring without any sort of preparation.

-Addison C. 

Discussion: I often have quiet classes. I always think of discussion as like any kind of activity. People need warm-ups! So, get them into small groups to get them chatting before the discussion and make sure you pop in on all of them and talk, too. Then go into the whole-class talk, and people will be more warmed up. I also am a strong advocate for making people get into a discussion circle. Sometimes about it seems to facilitate conversation.

Technology: My classes are very multi-media heavy, and this happens to me A LOT. I have shown students videos on laptops, I’ve made up dumb activities on the fly, I’ve narrated videos because the audio wasn’t working (this is actually very popular with my students)… basically, try to have a back-up plan. When the day comes when you don’t have a back-up plan, improvise, be honest with your students, and call IT. Also, acting like you always intended to start class with a 20-minute in-class writing exercise is great for stalling.

-Kristen F. 

Ohhh, those times are the worst!!! I hate when I feel like my students left class confused. Or when I can literally feel student disinterest in the air. (Those are the times to throw in an impromptu interpretive dance.)

But– probably the very worst flop was one time when I decided to take my class on a field trip because our classroom’s technology wasn’t working. I had done it before– find an empty classroom nearby, walk your students on over, and set up shop there for the day. Easy peasy, right? Right! Unless… unless this time the classroom only looked unused because the person teaching in it had scheduled individual conferences there that started slightly after class-time usually began. I was in front lecturing when I saw a colleague in the doorway. I went to see what I could help with, completely oblivious to the fact that I had illegally seized her classroom and filled it with my students. Like a pirate. I was a classroom-commandeering pirate. Fortunately, while I stood frozen in awkward shock, she quickly volunteered to move her conferences to another location in the building. Thank you, Kristen– I still owe you brownies!

-Dana B.

One time I had a class where only one or two students had done the reading, and the whole class I had planned was based on that reading. I noticed everyone shifting around in their chairs and not looking at me and I couldn’t get anyone to answer questions, so I asked them if they had done the reading. When only two hands went up, I was mad, but I asked them WHY they hadn’t done the reading. One student admitted they had struggled with it and given up. Others agreed. We then had a discussion about what was hard about this particular reading, and where they had decided to give up on it, and I put these sections up on the document camera and went over those places with them. I turned it into a lesson about reading strategies for extra difficult texts.

Gwendolyn M.

I am pretty certain the IT staff in the buildings I have taught in think I am super dumb. I have had repeated issues with technology – the worst time being a moment I couldn’t get the computer to come on and called IT. A few minutes later a lady came to my classroom, wiggled the mouse around, and the computer came on… I swear I had tried that only a million times before I called for help. My students thought it was funny — I made fun of myself with them. Sometimes that is the only option.

-Jordan S. 

The very first day I taught. I left the box with syllabus copies in my car. I didn’t realize it until I was in front of them all with 2 minutes til start. It’s amazing how fast a fat girl can run across this campus when her ego is on the line! Be honest! They can smell fear, and they will capitalize on it. The semester ended up being fabulous with this group. I am always just honest. If an activity isn’t working, I just tell them (they often realize it first anyway), and tell them what I want to accomplish and ask for their help. Again, be honest. Be genuine. They will respect you for it. And they feel less intimidated when they can see you as a real person. If discussion is based on reading, expect them not to have read. They won’t have read. If the discussion is falling flat because they haven’t read, it’s time to get out the books and read aloud in class – I mean, call them by name, have them read a paragraph aloud until they’ve read.

Sharla F.

Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash

Header photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

¹ While “underconfident” is not a word, English grad students are allowed one made-up word per day. This was mine.