The Ministry of a Teaching Assistant
Teaching assistants (TAs) are, on the one hand, important people in the university, and on the other hand, the least important among the ranks of those who teach in these institutions. They are graduate students who teach discussion sections of large undergraduate lecture courses. In this capacity, they attend the lectures and then meet once a week with 25-50 students to reinforce the material and answer any questions.
Because they have a closer contact with students than the professor who lectures to a class of hundreds, TAs may have more influence over the educational experience of students. But even if they are not teaching students, Christian TAs might show the character of Christ on campus. The following is the experience of Adrea, a biology TA at Ohio State University who is a member of InterVarsity’s graduate chapter there.
I wanted to share with you a very heart-warming, affirming encounter I had with a student about a week ago at Vineyard Columbus Church. After the 11:30 a.m. service, as hundreds of people were milling around, a young woman passed by me and took at second look at me. I had no idea who she was, but I noticed that she was looking at me. Then she turned around and came up to me and asked me, “Are you the Biology TA?”
Well, I have been a TA for introductory biology courses for nine quarters, and the average lecture size is about 600 students, so I had no idea if she was a student that was in my current course, or a student from the past. I recognize students who were or are in my lab section, but her face was not familiar at all. I replied, “Yes, are you taking Biology 101?”
“No,” she said. “But I always used to sit behind you in Dr. Baker’s course.” (I was a TA for this course several quarters ago.) She then paused and said, “I can’t believe this… You know, I always felt like you were a Christian, and I used to sit and tell my friend Holly that I could sense something in you.”
I could hardly believe what she was saying. I had never had a conversation with this particular student, but somehow within the context of everyday life, in the hierarchy of the academic institution, she had sensed something of the divine through some encounter we’d had.
I thanked her and told her that this was one of the highest compliments I’d ever received. It reminded me of the importance and significance of living our faith. “Preach the gospel at all times,” Saint Francis said, “and if necessary, use words.”
It also reminded me of the importance of maintaining integrity within the academy, including the integrity of our faith and the high standards of justice, fairness, honesty, and morality that it calls us to. And it reminded me that even if we don’t know it, especially we TAs, who often feel invisible or even dispensable, our students are watching us for how we conduct ourselves.
This encounter, finally, also reminded me of the importance of Christian Graduate Students Alliance in encouraging us as graduate students to actively live our Christian faith as we pursue our studies, rather than, auditing our walk with God during our time here.
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