TAs are valuable learning resource when used properly

Many things at UCLA will be different than they were in high school or at other colleges you’ve attended. Academics is definitely one of them. In many classes, you will find teaching assistants ““ these strange intermediaries between you and your professor. Who exactly are these slightly older folks, and what kind of power do they hold? Are they friends or foes?

I didn’t know either until I became one. A good line from “Fight Club” occurs when the main character, Tyler Durden, takes a police commissioner hostage in a men’s room and blackmails him into not investigating their network of fight clubs: “Look, the people you are after are the people you depend on. We cook your meals, we haul your trash, we connect your calls, we drive your ambulances, we guard you while you sleep.” Teaching assistants are similarly utilized here at UCLA: We teach your classes, we proctor your exams, we grade your papers, we run your research facilities, and we fill in for your faculty while they’re on sabbatical, among many other things.

Here’s a nonfictional example of the importance of TAs: The writers’ strike lasted almost three months, but when the University of California TA union threatened to strike for increased wages and family-friendly benefits, the UC gave in pre-emptively. I’m just saying.

We’re also important to you, new students, as we’re likely the ones who grade most of your assignments, confer with professors over final grades, and we even lead a lecture or two. Luckily, we’re not bad people. Our success is measured by your success in class, and there are many things you can do to stay on our good side and help your grade. The following is a list of keys to academic success and classroom etiquette, as compiled by a committee of experienced TAs.

First, go to class. This may sound simple, but it comes as a shock to so many new students. Just because nobody takes attendance like they did in high school doesn’t mean class is optional. Even in large lecture classes, we know who’s absent, and we know who’s been coming late. Attendance or participation may only represent a fraction of your final grade on the syllabus, but it means so much more. Subjectively, seeing you in class and remembering you participate matters when grading everything else you do (and let’s face it, it’s all subjective).

Second, develop relationships with us and especially with your professors. “This is very important,” said public policy TA Kevin Barry, “and scheduling appointments during their office hours is a great way to do this. Only a small minority of students (go to office hours), so the ones that do can really stand out.”

We TAs despise a certain breed of student called “the seminar hog.” You will know this person as the guy or girl who asks questions nonstop, sometimes appropriate, always excessive. If you are this person, try to reserve your deluge of questions for office hours. That’s the ideal place for one-on-one discourse with your professor, and your peers will appreciate it, too. If you’re not sure if you’re this person, just ask us; we’ll let you know.

While there is such a thing as too much participation, it’s more common to see students not participating enough in class. So our third point of advice for you is to participate and make yourself heard. Just showing up is nice, but it’s not enough. If you’ve got a question, ask it. Something to say? Say it.

“If you hate to speak up, try to participate with one thoughtful comment each class. If you love to speak up, try to participate with not more than three comments,” said higher education doctoral candidate Maria McGill. Feel free to approach your TA before or after class about this. We’ll let you know if you’ve struck the right balance.

Our fourth piece of advice concerns the quality rather than frequency of your contributions in class: Be appropriate and on topic. This is a tough line to toe in many classes where students openly debate sensitive or controversial material. It’s our job and your professor’s job to establish a safe environment for open discourse. However, that doesn’t mean it’s OK to digress into nonsensical tangents, drop f-bombs or be generally intolerant. Especially at a place with a diverse student body like UCLA, it’s very easy to make a verbal misstep.

This is not to say you must succumb to the stultifying specter of political correctness. After all, you are here to boldly challenge ideas. We’re not the thought police, but still, err on the side of caution. I had a student who was itching to discuss his contentious beliefs on illegal immigration on the first day of class. Rather than let him go out on a limb then, the professor and I took him aside and devised a way for us to introduce and defend his issue later in the course when it was more relevant and when we had readings to support unpopular perspectives. Again, if you’re hesitant to ask a question in class, you can ask us afterward. It might make a great starting point for the next class.

Lastly, if things are not going well in class, talk to us and we may be able to help. If you think you might be failing (and you should always know this), figure it out early on and act appropriately. Maybe it’s early enough in the quarter or not severe enough that we can help you improve your grade and finish the class. Sometimes, however, it’s best to drop a class in order to avoid academic suicide. We understand, no offense taken. Hopefully, the lighter load will help with your other coursework.

The worst is when we come across students who rarely appear in class, perform poorly on papers or exams, then, of course, show up Week 8 or 9 with a drop slip. Hoi Ning Ngai is an academic counselor for the UCLA College who advises students on how to avoid situations like this.

“(Students) should be responsible for knowing when academic deadlines are … and if add/drop forms request professor signatures, they mean just that,” Ngai said, adding that this information is available on the registrar’s Web site.

Sure, we’ve got other hang-ups and peeves, but use common sense to avoid most of them. For example, forget that “hot” ringtone, and please, just keep it on vibrate. We TAs are good for this type of advice and help. Professors are notoriously busy, so we’re the ones you need to haggle when discussing test scores, extensions or syllabus issues. It’s what we’re here for. If, however, you want to better inform your specific study, or get a meaningful letter of recommendation for graduate school, that’s all them.

Aikins is both a veteran TA and veteran poor student who miraculously squeaked into graduate school. E-mail him at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].