Free Writing – Thoughts on TA’s

I understand the value of a good Teaching Assistant (TA) for college professors. Professors are busy people. They have class to prepare for, meetings to attend, research to perform, books to write, and, usually last on their list, papers to grade. TA’s serve as a liaison to students for many professors, especially since classes are usually large and learning the name of each student is not a high priority for many educators. TA’s help teachers run the class by being present (for moral support?) as well as collecting and grading papers. Many TA’s also teach a lab session on the side. They are very convenient for professors.

They are not, however, convenient for students.

Many TA’s are nice people, but it seems that at least one class each semester assigns to me a TA who thinks he/she is better than everyone else. Why is this? Is it because they took the class the previous semester and got a decent grade so they think they know more than us? Is it because they don’t have to do the homework and look down on those that do? Or is it because a large part of students’ grades rest on their judgment? Whatever the reason, I have a hard time supporting the fact that a TA who may or may not know more about the subject matter than I do is determining my grade. I respect professors, and I am willing to accept whatever feedback they give to me. In fact, I enjoy getting feedback from my professors. They are trained and paid professionals who (for the most part) do a fine job. They should be in charge of the class and what grades the students get, but this responsibility too often falls to the TA’s. Personally, I think it is ridiculous that I pay money for an education only to have my success or failure determined by a fellow student.