What does it take to create a positive learning environment? While teachers often get the credit for this, teacher’s assistants also contribute and help the students succeed. Upper schoolers at Parker can help out teachers with their classes by being a Teacher’s Assistant (TA). There is a form that students can fill out and give to Registrar, Matt McCaw that asks the student to explain what class they want to TA and their plans to help with that class and to set up a meeting with the teacher whose class they hope to TA in. Most students choose to become a TA, but some teachers will ask a student to be their TA. 

That is what happened to senior Libi Horn. She was a very organized student, her notes were clear, and she performed well in class. Although to begin with, history class was always a struggle for her. “I don’t like history,”  Horn said. But her streamlined and detailed notes were what allowed her to succeed. Horn had to “study well to do well” unlike some of her friends who were very passionate about history and just knew the answer to specific questions. Because of her strong work ethic and organization, she was selected by Upper School history teacher and Department Co-Chair, Andrew Bigelow to be the following year’s TA for his United States History class.

 There is no set rubric a student has to follow as a TA, and what the TA has to accomplish is usually based on what the respective teacher wants. Some teachers this year are still figuring out how to best utilize their TA. “When I have TAs, I let them decide what they want to do in the class,” Upper School math teacher Wendy Olt said. 

“I try to meet with [Lee] at least once a week so we’re on the same page,” junior Heath Albert, the TA in Upper School math teacher Victoria Lee’s geometry class said. 

Since there is no specific rubric a TA has to follow, communication is very important between teachers and the TAs to help the class run smoothly. TAs can be very helpful as they help both teachers and students with their work. Although there can be an issue of some TAs not doing much work, it is clear that some do care and are very passionate about the subject they TA for. For example, one of Olt’s TAs created a Padlet for her class. Horn and Albert also put a lot of time and effort into the classes they TA for. Horn creates slideshows for her history class and is constantly reviewing her old notes and sharing them with her class. Albert puts a lot of his time into grading homework and going to all of Lee’s classes. He has new ideas to help, like forming study groups.

Although TAing can be a lot of work, many students love the experience. Horn has been able to help out Bigelow by staying organized and hosting review lunches for his upcoming tests. Having another person to help guide them through the class helps students to feel less stressed about how to approach tests as Horn is someone who has taken the class before. TAs do it all, from sending email reminders to grading tests, they offer beneficial services to not only teachers but students, too. If a student is struggling with a concept it can help to have a fresh perspective from someone else who has taken the same class before to explain the topic they are learning to them differently. Another way TAs are helpful is that they can give teachers less work because some of their grading can be done by someone else. TAs in their class can benefit as they get to deepen their knowledge in the subject, and if they want to go into teaching they get to be familiar with what it’s like. TAing is also a good opportunity to learn from a teaching perspective. 

For many TAs, the decision to step into the classroom comes from their desire to help others and make an impact in the lives of students. Horn recalls her freshman-year history TA as being very helpful. “I utilized her a lot. I thought she was kind of like the big sister to the history class,” Horn said. Horn likes leading class discussions and thought being a TA would be a nice way to help out. 

For Albert, when he helps teach classes it also helps him understand and review topics like geometry that he needs to know for standardized tests. 

Teachers also like having TAs in their classes. Olt finds them “very helpful.” TAs come up with new activities and projects for the class and bring fresh perspectives to the class that are appreciated by teachers and students. Overall, most people find TAs to be an important addition to the class. They add something that a teacher by themselves could not. “My TAs notice things that I don’t,” Upper School English teacher Mike Mahany said. “They have a better perspective on the material than I do, and most of the time my students will listen to them more than me.”