Reassurance
- I needed to hear that I was going to be fine. Also, I wanted to hear mistakes
others had made and learn from them. I would even be willing to share some
of mine!
- Anxiety is normal, everyone feels it, yes, it is a difficult situation,
but that is nothing to be afraid of.
- I found that I just learned so much about going with the flow. It really
is a matter of experience, the first few weeks are tough, but it really amazingly
does get easier.
- I think confidence is so important (trusting oneself is too), and it develops
later, but it's great to have some idea of what to do and how to view things
in the beginning.
- Just tell them that Roxanne says, "No really, they just give you three class
lists about two days before the term starts and tell you to go for it. No
one goes with you, no one helps you figure it out, and no one checks out your
teaching after it is all said and done with-you live through it-then after
awhile you start to think, wow, this is great!"
- Remember GTFing is a temporary job and your real job is to become a professor.
In that light, you can learn just as much from a bad professor as from a good
professor. Just learn to sift the wheat from the chaff for your own portfolio.
- GTFs should realize that if they have a bad teaching day, or even a bad
teaching term, that they're not alone. After my AWFUL first teaching experience,
for a very long time, I thought that I was alone and a failure. However, I've
talked with many well-known and respectable professors, who have very amusing
(of course, NOW they're amusing) first-time teaching stories.
- Even if other GTF's in their department act as if everything is fine, the
GTF should realize that we all have bad teaching days and even bad teaching
terms. And with practice, they can make the experience very enjoyable. Also,
remember, REALLY remember, that no matter how good you are, you are always
going to have people who don't like you-- no matter what you do, they still
won't be satisfied. If you're pleasing every single person in a large class,
then something's probably wrong.
- As a GTF, I have power in the classroom. I thought that if someone was disruptive, that it was my problem, and that I was the one who had to handle it on my own. I would take advantage of the TEP resources, and talk to someone in their office in order to maintain confidentiality.
Address questions or comments about
TEP or this site to:
Georgeanne Cooper, Program Director,
64 PLC
Phone: 541-346-2177 Fax: 541-346-2184
© Copyright 2000-2006 Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon.
Last Modified:
05/22/08
