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[frogfactory]

Thanks, Sciencephd, for backing up what has been my experience of how generally things go in academic science.  Obviously this forum attracts a self-selecting group consisting mainly of academics who did not want to, or could not, avoid teaching, so experiences of people here are not necessarily representative of the experiences of all academics.

If you blow off the parts of the training that you don't like and actively fight against getting better,

If I said something to that effect, then it was simply bile and frustration. I am trying to get better at it because it's what I'm doing now, and will be doing next year.

Can I get off this couch yet?

[galactic_hedgehog]

Frog, you might be interested in checking out the Science Careers Forum over at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) site.

[frogfactory]

Thanks, gh.  I do visit that site, as well as The Other Site, and a few others.

[voxprincipalis]

For now, it's frustrating, and this thread (still not dead?) really belongs up under 'venting'.  If the mods want to move/delete it, I have no problem with that.

Mmm, no, having put forth your opinions about teaching (which are excruciatingly clear, by the way), you now have the exquisite pleasure of hearing forumites' responses until they, not you, tire of it.

Of course, you could just stop reading and responding, which usually makes people go away faster -- or allows the thread to turn in some other, more useful, direction.

VP

[sciencephd]

I suggest reading some of the more heavily trafficked bioscience blogs over the AAAS forums.  I hesitate to post specific ones, but with some googling you can find ones that focus on career advice.

[barred_owl]

A little late catching up to this thread, but I'd like to put a slightly different spin on its latest drift (i.e., frogfactory's future in academia).

frog:  the comments from sciencephd and daniel_von_flanagan are worth a second look, particularly their comments regarding job opps for scientists who are also capable teachers.  Don't sell yourself short--what I see in your posts is that you do seem to care about your students' development, both as learners and and future scientists.  Your empathy with their frustration is apparent and I, for one, think that bodes well for your own future as an educator.  The horrible job market notwithstanding, there are schools out there who will appreciate having someone on board who is motivated to teach the basics within the field (correctly!) and groom students to consider majoring in that field (as opposed to using intro courses as intellectual weed-whackers--for some science departments, more majors=more $$, for one thing).  Many times, those same schools will also be searching for someone with an active research program, and who can actively engage undergraduates in their research.  From what I've read on this thread, this could be a career track you might explore further. 

FWIW, I have been in your shoes--TAing in a science lab class for majors and frustrated with both co-workers and course profs whose "ideals" for the course are at odds with your own.  In the short term, it was awful (and, back then, there were no "fora" on which to vent!), but farther down the road, I was able to channel that frustration into a coherent set of teaching principles that were key to my success in landing a TT job.  I ended up at a school where teaching was valued as highly as research, and where I had control over that intro majors course, including the responsibility to reform the curriculum so that it would, indeed, nurture future bio majors. 

I guess what I'm saying is, don't let your precarious position as a TA (i.e., someone who cannot control course content and pedagogy) and your frustration stand in the way of your future.  You know what they say (paraphrasing here)--what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!  As scienceprof and DvF have suggested, keep an open mind and--who knows?--you might find that you were actually cut out for a teaching gig after all.

Best of luck!  Hope the weeks that have passed since the last post have been more positive for you!

[frogfactory]

Thanks for your post.  Actually, a few weeks on these fora has certainly reshaped my perceptions of the academic environment over here, which has been a very positive thing in terms of coping with frustrations.  Before coming on here to spend a couple of weeks making a massive fool of myself, I had found myself plunged into a system I had no understanding of whatsoever, but was pretty much expected to just get on with it.  The difference between the educational system and the one I suddenly find myself teaching in was largely a mystery, and I certainly made some assumptions about how things worked that simply weren't correct.  That led to a feeling of railing against the system, together with a lot of frustration and anger.

To that end, I'd like to humbly (how uncharacteristic!) thank the CHE posters, including the ones who put me in my place by telling me to STFU and get over myself.  And I apologise for having been a pain in the backside.  You've genuinely been very helpful and given me some good ideas regarding how to approach the role of a TA in general and teaching specifically.  Without coming here, I think it might have taken years for me to reset my expectations and gain a sense of perspective, so thanks.  The next round's on me.

Oh, and I've just found out I might be able to teach a techniques-based class for honors students in the not too distance future, and I find myself actually looking forward to it.

[barred_owl]

Oh, and I've just found out I might be able to teach a techniques-based class for honors students in the not too distance future, and I find myself actually looking forward to it.

Ah, that's the spirit!  I think you'll find that when you actually have some say in the structure and design of the course, you'll find yourself fitting in even better and really enjoying the teaching.  Pat on the back to you, and cheers!!  Best of luck!!

[totoro]

Frogfactory - how does teaching look now after another year at it?

[frogfactory]

Frogfactory - how does teaching look now after another year at it?

Glad to be largely finished with it, totoro.  I've been asked to give a couple of the large lectures for intro next semester, and to run a workshop for new TAs in the department, but my TAship is finally over and done with.

I can kind of see myself running more classes in future if I have to - though I'm not interested enough in teaching to run such a sprawling comprehensive one as this intro class - but I hope I never have to TA with someone else's materials again.  It was very frustrating being asked to test students on nitpicking details from materials that were error-ridden themselves.