Zach Sibio & Matt Leavitt
We applaud the insightful commentary on dealing with T.A.’s in The Daily Universe on Feb. 4. Being T.A.’s ourselves, we can empathize with the tension that can arise between T.A.’s and students. We would just like to add a few minor qualifications to the eloquent summary previously given.
In that letter, we were informed that T.A.’s always view their student as imbeciles. We would argue that not all students are imbeciles (some are T.A.’s after all), but if you’re a student who resorts to at least one of the following, you certainly qualify:
1) You announce your mastery over all course material prior to any instruction and vigorously argue your case for such at each and every opportunity with the T.A. who completed the course with an A and has been recruited by the professor.
2) In the unlikely event the T.A. should reject your credentials as scholar-of-all-that-is, you are quick to point out you earned the Russian Nobel Peach Prize in the seventh grade for solving Einstein’s integral backwards and forwards in Swahili.
3) Despite all counter evidence, you maintain the presupposition that your T.A. is a big-headed, egocentric demon whose only desire is to devour your GPA like so many beer nuts. Heaven forbid that you should seek to cultivate a favorable socio-educational relationship with your T.A. This simply isn’t worthwhile, because with your aptitude, any graduate admissions board or employer is certain to bow to your every whim.
But seriously, folks. Perhaps there is some marginal value in students who actually think they can learn something at college, and the T.A.’s who actually remember they are students themselves.
Zach Sibio
Las Vegas
Matt Leavitt
Golden, Colo.
