Life in the Trenches

Life in the Trenches:
A TA's Guide to First-Year Teaching at Humboldt State University

Updated: 05/31/07

The role of TA at Humboldt State University is a hybrid of student, teacher, paid intern, and beginning professional—foremost among these equal roles is that of student.

Teaching in the Comp Program is a unique learning occasion. Not only do TAs earn a regular salary, share in professional decision making, and enjoy the responsibilities of and autonomy to design their own course, they also enjoy support in finding their most efficacious teaching styles. Therefore, as a condition of employment, all TAs are required to participate in mandatory program meetings and in portfolio scoring sessions; in the fall, TAs are required to register for English 580, a one-unit seminar entitled Teaching College Writing.

Your New Home
Most often, TAs share the office at Nelson Hall East 112. It comes equipped with five desk areas and new, comfortable chairs; two telephones; two computers with Internet access; and a printer. Stacey Brandenberg will notify TAs when the office is available for occupation, typically early to mid-August. Once key requests have been issued—one each for the NHE office, the Department Office / second-floor Founders Hall classrooms, and the exterior doors of Founders Hall—please take a photo ID to Plant Operations to retrieve your keys. Stacey will assign office phone numbers and provide instructions for activating and using individual voicemail accounts. Anyone who has worked with Stacey for any length of time knows her efficiency. Please rest assured, therefore, that she will provide all of the above amenities at the earliest possible moment and you will be notified when that moment arrives. Please resist the urge to rush proceedings. Thank you.

Fee Waiver
Faculty fee waiver, per se, is not available to graduate students; however, a form of fee waiver is available from the Office of Graduate Studies (insiders call it the EO-611). To apply, TAs enrolled in 9 or more units must complete the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, as soon as possible--indicating the SUG allocation. Upon completion of the FAFSA, please contact Stacey Brandenberg and ask her to submit your name for fee-waiver or fee-remission consideration.

Insurance
TAs are not eligible for insurance benefits. However, continuing student status guarantees free or low-cost health care through the Student Health Center.

Parking
TAs are not eligible for staff parking status. Those who plan to park on campus must purchase a student parking permit and follow the regulations thereof.

Travel Funds
Limited funds are sometimes available from the Dean’s office for those presenting at professional conferences. The CSU’s current budget crisis all but guarantees a complete lack of those funds for TAs. Small travel allotments can also be available through the President’s Office and Office of Graduate Studies for those presenting at a national conference. Those finding themselves in this fortunate position should request those funds the second fall semester begins.

Library Privileges
TAs are eligible for a teaching-assistant ID card, complete with check-out privileges available to faculty: an unlimited number of books for the entire school year, CDs for three weeks, videotapes for a week, and periodicals overnight. To obtain your ID, first collect the form from Human Resources (SH 211), and then visit the Library ID office during its open hours after the semester begins (cards will not be issued prior to the first day of the fall semester). Provide the ID tech with your name, which s/he will check against the list provided by the English Department, to ensure that you receive the appropriate ID status and that the English Department pays the fee.

Magic Numbers
Even though TAs can access them through Banner (the faculty version of WebReg), do not issue magic numbers without Tracy’s express permission. This policy protects you from the vagaries of open registration, from the temptation to over enroll a section, and from the sob stories to which desperate students will most certainly subject you.

Evaluation Procedures
Susan Bennett will provide substantive feedback to TAs based upon at least one class visit and a review of their student evaluations, their policy statements, and their daily plans.

Ongoing Conversations
We seem as a program—indeed, as a discipline—to keep returning to issues surrounding plagiarism, absenteeism, disruptive students, and portfolio assessment, so expect this year to participate in discussions surrounding these issues.