TA Teaching Tips

Working with R.A.s
Sarah Cooper Pogell, English

I suppose this hint falls under the "bit of wisdom" category for those T.A.'s responsible for a class of bodies--as opposed to gradable papers or exams--either in lab, discussions, or, in my case, as the instructor of the class. Though this idea may best apply to T.A.'s teaching freshmen, it might be useful for teachers of sophomores--sophomores, that is, who are still living in the student dorms. Freshman year, especially first semester, students are busily adjusting to college life--being away from Mom for the first time, perhaps, and having no rules for what to do and when to do it. Occasionally I have a student who demonstrates the strains of adjustment to college, such as making inappropriate comments to me (expecting me, for example, to be a surrogate "Mom"), regularly coming late to class or having difficulty completing assignments, or other "cries for help," to use a psychobabble term. If a student shows continuing signs of stress or problems, you might call the Director of R.A.'s (Resident Hall Assistants) and tell him/her the name of your student and your concerns; the Director will get in touch with your student's particular R.A., who will then keep an eye out for your student and any difficulties he or she might be having. I have done this before, and far from being an invasive procedure--the R.A. is instructed not to tell your student that a teacher has called--this is a helpful way to make sure someone else besides you (and someone who has a good deal of contact as well with your student) is on the alert for a problem.

Working with Disabled Student Services
David Thompson, Romance Languages and Literatures

Not long ago a student came to me with a problem for which I had neither a solution nor an idea of where to look for one. I had noticed that he was having a hard time with the course I was teaching, and he confessed that, in the past, he had been diagnosed with a learning disability. Certain subjects came very easily to him, but others caused him great difficulties. Having never studied learning disabilities nor how to recognize them, I was unable to offer my student any advice. Little did I know that there is a service on campus devoted specifically to addressing the needs of disabled students. Two months later, in a conversation with other students and professors, I happened to mention my student. One of the professors spoke up and told me about Disabled Student Services (DSS).

DSS is located in Room 2 of the Women's Bldg. (basement level) and can be reached at 935-4062 (fax: 935-8516). They provide services to students with permanent or temporary disabilities. These services include: readers, scribes, sign language interpreters, assistive transportation, assistance in securing modified housing, etc. Among the accommodations offered by DSS are: notetakers for lectures, extra time to complete exams, alternative exam formats and distraction-free exam sites. Students wishing to take advantage of these services must provide recent documentation by a qualified professional regarding their specific disability. All documentation remains confidential. Contact the DSS office for more information.

Information taken from "DSS: Disabled Student Services". Revised by R. Sommerer. Washington University in St. Louis, 1996.