By hashtag67 - 05/11/2016 09:08

Today, I taught my first seminar as a teaching assistant. I prepared for hours and rehearsed and discussed it with the professor. Two students fell asleep, I said "shit" twice and I froze mid-sentence, then said, "Sorry guys, I have no idea what I'm saying." FML
I agree, your life sucks 10 196
You deserved it 1 550

Same thing different taste

Top comments

theIceberg 9

don't worry man, none of us know what we're doing ever.

Throw in a quiz nobody is possibly prepared for, and it sounds like you just taught a class. Congrats, OP!

Comments

theIceberg 9

don't worry man, none of us know what we're doing ever.

Hey, look on the bright side. Those who can, do and those who can't, teach. As such, this looks like the perfect job for you.

Unless OP finds out they can't teach, then they have to teach gym.

Well, that came out a lot meaner than I was hoping for. Oops.

Just write stuff down on note cards, you can read off of them and it makes you seem smart ;)

CAT47LOVE 19

its just the first day it will get better ?

Throw in a quiz nobody is possibly prepared for, and it sounds like you just taught a class. Congrats, OP!

I'm studying to be a teacher and this is one of my worst nightmares. I hope this never happens to me. I watched a Ted Talk by Christopher Emdin called "Teach Teachers How to Create Magic". I recommend you watch it. One of the things that stuck with me from that video was how the people that know how to command a space and engage an audience probably don't even have a degree or the education or the certification to teach. They are far removed from the classroom. Teachers need to learn how to let go and turn that lesson plan into more than just a piece of paper. Go to a rap concert, a barber shop, a black church. Learn to create magic. Good luck, OP.

So you can only be a good teacher if you're black or have had some form of black influence??

No, of course not! That's ridiculous. A "black church" was one of the places listed in the TED Talk as a place you can visit for inspiration to help you engage an audience and command the space. You can be a teacher, doesn't matter what colour or origin or orientation or whatever. You just have to have the passion. That can be expressed through teaching in whatever way. Everyone is different.

Instead of lamenting over your anxiety try making fun of the oopsies you make in the next lecture. At least you'll have students who are awake. best of luck.

Don't stress it. I've been teaching since '08 and it gets much, much easier. Still, during my teacher training rounds, a student once asked me what 'fighting' meant (it was an English as an Additional Language class). My response? "Fighting... it means to fight." Yeah. I cleared things up real well, there. :D This'll just be an amusing story you can share/compare with other teachers in a few years time.

just keep trying eventually it will get better

That's sad. Learning your subject and learning how to teach are two different things. People often assume that if they do the first, the second happens magically. Never admit you don't know what you're talking about. If you have a brain-freeze, start talking about your school's football team and the "big game." When your brain thaws, get back on track.