Voices from the Past.
Posted by John on January 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am · 11 Comments
While I was cleaning my office last night, I found a stack of TA evaluations from a comparative politics class I TA’d for in the mid-90s. It was a fun class–I gave the lectures on Japanese politics and ran every Friday as a monster discussion section (there were 100+ students). I kept all the evals that had written comments. Here are some representative remarks:
He is the finest grad. student lecturer that I have ever had.
He made up for a horrible instructor. If someone is to get tenure, please God do not let it be X. John Remy is the man for the job.
Nice guy–a little spineless and chessy [sic]. Will be a great politician. Could be a little better at control [sic] this rowdy group.
John seemed to take an interest in each individual student even though the class was numerous.
His lecture abilities were beyond his years. A+
Give John a real job and let him stop assisting. He’s what a teacher should be.
John was one of the best TA’s I have ever had. I work + go to school full time, so his accessibility viz the Internet was very helpful. He is also one of the most knowledgeable TA’s, and is able to communicate this knowledge effectively and concisely. This is the only TA I’ve ever had that I hope will consider taeaching @ the college level as a profession.
It was kind of bittersweet to run across this. I’ve given up on a traditional academic career, but haven’t given up on teaching and reaching others through my words. At any rate, it is nice to find this little reminder. I just need to make sure I use it as a carrot (a shredded carrot in carrot cake form) and not as a cudgel.
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