A few weeks back, I read Grand Marshal Julia Leusner’s article concerning the problems that students encounter with many of their teaching assistants. These problems were as follows: many teaching assistants have trouble communicating in spoken English, and TAs are sometimes assigned to courses in which they do not have a substantial background. In this past week’s issue of The Poly, I encountered the “Top Ten Things Your TA Taught You” list. I received my undergraduate degree at Rensselaer, and I certainly have encountered foreign TAs for whom English is not their strong suit. I have also just started my graduate degree, and I am currently a TA in the Physics Department. It is from this background that I would like to respond to some of the concerns that Leusner brought to light, and the joke made in the “Top Ten” list.
The “Top Ten” printed in last week’s Poly stated that the top 10 things people’s TAs taught them were the phrases “I don’t speak English” in various languages. This joke implies, whether it was the intention of the writer or not, that every TA from a different nation is an ignorant foreigner, incapable of speaking or learning English, or of teaching anyone enrolled in the courses anything useful. This joke skates on very thin ice above being flat-out racist. There is no excuse for a publication associated with an institution which promotes diversity and a mixing of cultures to print something of the above nature.
Addressing Leusner’s article, I would like to first say that I agree with some of what she had to say. Having a TA who cannot properly communicate with or teach a student is certainly a problem. However, I have to disagree with the severity and ubiquity Leusner assigned to this problem. Foreign TAs have been tested extensively on written English. Often, language problems with TAs can be solved via a written communication.
Please note also that our TAs are, in most cases, experts in the fields they are teaching. I know that all TAs are not working in their exact field of study, but in general they are working for a course related to their background. If, in the rare case, your TA cannot help you, there is always the professor or a plethora of information available through textbooks and academic research.
Furthermore, the constant jokes and complaints heard throughout the campus make the TA issue seem very widespread. I would be curious to see what kind of statistics would arise if we counted the number of students who regularly went to their TAs’ office hours. My guess is that we would encounter a very low percentage. The reality is that, while the language barrier may cause some serious problems, students most likely just seize upon it while looking to assign blame for their difficulty in a subject area.
Finally, we should all remember that the responsibility for a student’s education falls to that student alone. Yes, we pay a large amount of money for our education at Rensselaer, but in return the institution provides us with many resources. We have brilliant professors and TAs, and when neither of these resources can help us, it is not the downfall of the institution. RPI also provides us with fellow students, tutoring programs, the library, and inter-library loan. It is for these resources, for the amazing research and job opportunities, and for the reputation of the school that we pay a large amount of money. We do not pay tuition to have information spoon fed to us like children in elementary school. We should not throw blame around if we are having trouble with a class. When we fail to do something, even the best reason is still just an excuse.
Eli J. Carreiro
PHYS GRAD
