Planning & Leading TA Sessions

Getting Organized on the First Day

If you are assigned your own section to teach, you probably have some concerns about the first few days. You will not generally have the first day of class on your own and your professor will be there to help. 

The following suggestions should also help you get organized before classes begin: 

• It is always a good idea to visit the classroom assigned to you before the first class. 

• Check out whether there is chalk or markers, and an eraser. 

• If your course requires the use of audio and visual materials, check if the classroom computer and projector are working properly. 

• Bring extra handouts on the first day in case more students are added to the course. 

• Introduce yourself. Students will want to know what you know about the subject, how you became interested in the field, and why you think it is worthwhile to dedicate several years (or a career) to it. In many cases, students will be interested in your method and approach to the subject. 

• You should make sure your email and office hours are listed on the syllabus by the professor. 

• Learn who is in class and ask students why they are in the course. 

• Explain how the course is set up by referring to a syllabus. Note exam and assignment dates for your students. Make clear, if you can, what the major emphasis of each part of the course will be. 

• Whether to introduce substantive material on the first day depends to a large extent on the course. 

• If you have handouts for the students, distribute them yourself rather than giving the whole lot to one student to pass on. You can begin to make eye contact with your students this way. 

Dealing with Anxiety 

• If you feel nervous about the first day of class, you should come a little early. You can say hello to a few students at a time and feel that you are welcoming them to the class rather than walking in, precisely on time, to face a room full of strangers. 

• Do not feel obligated to say that you are nervous, or that you are new. Students expect a teacher, so to a certain extent you can role-play for the first few days. As your confidence level rises, you can cut back on “acting” like a teacher as you internalize your role and become a teacher. 

• Do not worry if you do not know all the things you will be asked whether about the course or the material. Your students may at first expect you to be the complete authority on your topic but if you let them know that you are an informed, advanced student and teacher, you will both ensure reasonable expectations and provide a model of a thoughtful, non-authoritarian member of the profession. 

• Make a note of questions you are not able to answer, check with your professor or the course supervisor, then get back to the student with an answer.