Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Interesting post regarding being a TA. Sounds interesting; I’ll pass that idea to my son for his next few years.Does your son have to teach or run small groups?

DP. My son is a TA too. Yes, he attends the lecture twice weekly, and then leads a discussion class (mandatory for the students) once a week and provides the quizzes. Also is required to hold office hours once a week. Has met several people in his major and really enjoys it.

TA roles can vary quite a lot depending on what the teacher needs. My son is a TA for a math professor at Virginia Tech but, so far, his job is exclusively grading papers. It's perfect for him because he can largely make his own schedule (8-10 hrs per week) and spends quite a bit of time talking with the professor who has become a helpful advisor. He hadn't really connected with any of his professors before this (he's a junior) so it was really helpful in getting over that reticence but wouldn't have helped him meet students. Regardless, being a TA is a great gig.