Werewolves, zombies and vampires, oh my!

A new hybrid has been prowling UAA, and it doesn’t involve seamless gas to electric conversions or vampire/werewolf combos. These hybrids can magically transform from one mode to the other right before your eyes, and in one blink they have changed. If you happen to cross its path, though, you might not even be able to tell which form the hybrid has taken.

What is this anomaly? Should we notify UPD? Is this “hybrid” a concern for the community?

Do not fear, students of UAA, because unlike loyal vampire/werewolf hybrids that might drain you of blood and tear you limb from limb, the hybrids here run on coffee, composition pedagogy, reading, writing, and grading. You could probably consider them more friend than foe. These hybrids are your English 111 TAs.

Yes, teaching assistants hold a unique role in campus life. They have expertise and authority while teaching their classes, they are considered colleagues in their respective departments, and they have valid research interests in their particular fields. But unlike other instructors and faculty, we TAs must constantly maneuver from instructor and researcher into student and inquirer. Some of us might do this on a daily basis. We teach our class in the morning and then assume our student roles in the afternoons, instantly transforming as we walk the campus grounds. Others have the benefit of only teaching on Monday, but then casually strolling campus as a student on Tuesday.

But despite these apparently magical behaviors, the hybrid TA is not much unlike yourself. Some of us are new to the UAA campus and still acclimating to this University. Others find themselves returning to UAA after several years away from formal schooling. Even those of us who attended UAA in our undergrad days sit in anticipation as we approach new subjects and dig deeper into topics of interest. If this is your first semester at UAA, take solace in the fact that even those who have been here for years still feel uncertain and tentative when presented with a new learning environment. Be ensured that no matter what you might be self-conscious about, you have the capabilities and potential to be successful in your classes and in your field.

So if you come across a TA, don’t be alarmed. We’re more like you than you think. We might be college instructors, but we’re students too. We know parking can be a pain, we realize Blackboard is finicky, and we feel the stress that comes with being a college student.

Now, that doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid to channel our inner vampire/werewolf, but perhaps that is another post…

Cheers everyone, and congrats on making it these first few weeks!