Nightmare student

I had most of the problems and joys you are talking about. What marked me the most at UCD is that I had my first (and hopefully last) "nightmare student" my first quarter here. A real bully from the very first session with no social skills that constantly disturbed the class, left in the middle of tests to have a cigarette because he had "issues" and lied to me. His grades were very bad but he managed to move up in language classes with the minimum grade each time and the help of a private tutor. Though I got the support of my department, there was never enough to kick him out. What I keep from this experience:
- Do not take it personally, this kind of student does it to everybody, especially women.
- ALWAYS TELL YOU SUPERVISOR ABOUT THESE STUDENTS WHEN IT STARTS IN CASE YOU HAVE REAL PROBLEMS WITH THEM. Handle it yourself at first but mention it so that if something happens, your supervisor will be familiar with your situation.
- Get respect from your students on the very first day. Even be a little severe for a few days, it will save you a lot of trouble later.
- The other students in the class know exactly what is going on and they are most definitively on your side.
- Supervisors talked to my student and it helped a bit but there is not much they could do in the end so just endure it.
- It makes you sooooo appreciative of all your other classes and students for many years!
- You learn a lot about how to remain calm and professional because exploding would absolutely not help and get you in trouble, believe it or not.
- Patience will deflate conflicts more than any other trick. With some of these extreme students though, communication may be useless. They cannot take no for a answer unless they respect you and they don't.
- I now appreciate the quarter system because when you have a bad class ---and it happens and it has nothing to do with you--- it ends sooner!
- Accept to be powerless. It is rare but it happens. Don't loose sleep over it or let it impact your scholarly work. It did for me at first and then I realized that these students are not worth my time and effort. Hopefully it was the "one in a lifetime" because as I get older and more assertive, I trust that I won't let it happen again.

Trying to present a fuller picture of language

I would say one of my biggest issues is trying to address the complexities of language in the understandably reductive tendencies of the teaching environment.
This is especially difficult in language teaching, since language is the intersection and confluence of different aspects of the human condition. It is not just about "the facts," although many students would like to think that by memorizing vocabulary and verb charts that "is" language. Nor is it enunciating words with an impeccable "native" accent. Nor is it navigating the cultural-pragmatic nuances of formality or "best" style.
Some students are still not very aware of how language shapes their attitudes and how it interacts and constructs social, political, economic, etc. "realities." I would really like to have time to address some of these issues, but can't. With all that complexity, how do I organize a 50 minute class that touches on the before-mentioned issues, while still meeting the institutional standards and addressing my own students' individual needs for language instruction?

Worst fears

Even though I'm a fairly new TA, I have already learned the value of experience. Little by little I grow more confident and more certain of what I am doing in the classroom. I have also learned that the things I feared most - like not being able to EVER learn my students' names or passing out in front of the class- never happen, at least haven't happened yet. I'm glad things have turned out this way, now I can focus on preparing a good class.

TA or Infotainer?

Several years before becoming a TA, I taught English in Mexico. It was my first real teaching experience and after a while I realized I had an issue. I wanted to see smiling faces and hear laughter in my classroom. To me, that meant that we were having a successful class; they were happy. I remember one class in which I had a sour-faced business man who obviously took himself very seriously. I couldn't get him out of my head and it affected the confidence I had in the classroom. I felt that the whole class must feel like they are wasting their time and that he's the only one who's showing it. I knew that it was irrational but it was hard to not focus on the unhappy-looking students. Going back to school helped a lot with this, because I realized that I wasn't always a happy camper as a student and this often (but not always) had very little to do with how I felt about the class or the instructor. I still carry this issue with me a bit...wanting to see smiles, hear laughter, but now I realize that I'm just a small part of their daily lives and that they are in my class for lots of different reasons, then it's a lot easier to just let go, be myself, and do the best that I can to teach them something and leave the entertaining to someone else. Fortunately, I find if I relax and keep the students actively participating, then it's easy to do both.

Acting too young

When I was a TA, one of my many problems was looking, feeling and acting too young. The students did not take me seriously and would contest many of "my" rules. If the students don't take you seriously, you can lose control of the class and that looks unprofessional. But, I just wanted to be liked. This looking "unprofessional" did not bother me at the beginning, but when I saw the student evaluations I realized I had to change and start to care about looking and acting professional. I tried dressing up a little and creating a little distance to make sure they did not take me as their buddy. I thought that if I got "serious"I was not going to be liked any more, that I was not going to be cool, but later on I saw that they still liked me. It just changed from "buddy" to "respect".

TA's experienes: Dilemmas or difficulties?

As a first year TA for a Spanish 1 class at the University of California, Davis, I have had some situations of adjustment, trial and error, and many learning experiences that are continuing to help me understand and grow as a language instructor. Far from mastering this art of teaching, I have encountered some difficulties as a TA in front of and behind the scenes. I start this blog now you invite you, TA's of language or whatever field you're in, to share your dilemmas or difficulties as TA's through out your career and through out this quarter and solutions if any, that have worked in the past or that you are planning on implementing for yourself or for your class. My goal with this blog is to start an open dialogue and to share ideas with each other so we can help each other out!

As you respond to this blog, please keep in mind the following questions:
1) What are some current events in your teaching life?
2) What are some dilemmas or difficulties you are encountering this quarter as you teach or TA?