oh, neutral day.
i don't ever remember walking into a Practical session feeling all calm and prepared.
nope, not even on the day where i stride into LS Lab 9... as a Teaching Assistant.
i know, which idiot would go into lab so unprepared, especially when you're to be doing demonstrations right?
but you see, that was all i thought i'd be doing - teaching the Year ones some basic microbiology techniques like, streaking, flaming, inoculation etc.
IT WASN'T TO BE.
--------------------------------------------------------
*20 mins before lab begins*
Prof Ho: ok, TAs, you will be taking one bench each for the practical...
(OMG ONE BENCH GOT FREAKING 12 STUDENTS, YOU WANT ME TO TEACH ALL??? i thought i'd just be doing a demo only!!! like an 'eh let's go see what that Year 4 girl is doing, coz it's a demo.' oh noes.)
Prof Ho continues: and also, you will have to give them a briefing before they go off...
(oh man, i am so screwed. what briefing?? NO ONE TOLD ME I HAD TO PREPARE TO BRIEF THEM! 'er hi, i'm vivien. er... the Gram stain is called a Gram stain because... er, er...' *brain implodes*)
Prof Ho: and you have to mark their lab reports. they hand them in on the 15th of september.
*jaw drops*
eh seriously, i asked MY OWN TA who got me this job and he said i was only a demo. i kept asking if he was sure that's all to it, and he reassured me that i was only a demo.
unless this to him looks like what a demo does. which is, to me, a TA's job already la! wah liao!!
i start to panic. Farty just gives me the 'oh-what-the-hell-let's-just-all screw-everything-up-together-with-the-year-ones shall we?' look.
--------------------------------------------------------
*practical begins*
me: hi, my name is vivien! i am, erm, your TA (it sounded weird rolling off my tongue) for this practical.
i proceed to explain how to keep your workplace sterile while you work with microbes and what to look out for. then i do a little demo on the first few parts for them to follow.
they completed the first 2 sections in 15 minutes.
WOW.
i shut my hanging jaw and tell myself it's because i am a good TA that's why they're so fast (i needed to delude myself... was trying to make myself less nervous in front of a bunch of fast learners.)
i slowly get into the pattern of 1) demo (i hate this word now. fake me!!!!), 2) things to look out for, 3) walk around the bench to correct techniques.
halfway through ths pattern i start getting hungry and lose steam.
'eh just follow protocol. you all know how to do right? oooooooooookay just go ahead now.'
in the end, my bench ended on time and got most of their stuff done, other than me not being able to specify what i want to see in their lab reports which I am marking.
i wish i was more informed about my duties. :(
never mind, it's Group 2's turn next week... HAHA!
nope, not even on the day where i stride into LS Lab 9... as a Teaching Assistant.
i know, which idiot would go into lab so unprepared, especially when you're to be doing demonstrations right?
but you see, that was all i thought i'd be doing - teaching the Year ones some basic microbiology techniques like, streaking, flaming, inoculation etc.
IT WASN'T TO BE.
--------------------------------------------------------
*20 mins before lab begins*
Prof Ho: ok, TAs, you will be taking one bench each for the practical...
(OMG ONE BENCH GOT FREAKING 12 STUDENTS, YOU WANT ME TO TEACH ALL??? i thought i'd just be doing a demo only!!! like an 'eh let's go see what that Year 4 girl is doing, coz it's a demo.' oh noes.)
Prof Ho continues: and also, you will have to give them a briefing before they go off...
(oh man, i am so screwed. what briefing?? NO ONE TOLD ME I HAD TO PREPARE TO BRIEF THEM! 'er hi, i'm vivien. er... the Gram stain is called a Gram stain because... er, er...' *brain implodes*)
Prof Ho: and you have to mark their lab reports. they hand them in on the 15th of september.
*jaw drops*
eh seriously, i asked MY OWN TA who got me this job and he said i was only a demo. i kept asking if he was sure that's all to it, and he reassured me that i was only a demo.
unless this to him looks like what a demo does. which is, to me, a TA's job already la! wah liao!!
i start to panic. Farty just gives me the 'oh-what-the-hell-let's-just-all screw-everything-up-together-with-the-year-ones shall we?' look.
--------------------------------------------------------
*practical begins*
me: hi, my name is vivien! i am, erm, your TA (it sounded weird rolling off my tongue) for this practical.
i proceed to explain how to keep your workplace sterile while you work with microbes and what to look out for. then i do a little demo on the first few parts for them to follow.
they completed the first 2 sections in 15 minutes.
WOW.
i shut my hanging jaw and tell myself it's because i am a good TA that's why they're so fast (i needed to delude myself... was trying to make myself less nervous in front of a bunch of fast learners.)
i slowly get into the pattern of 1) demo (i hate this word now. fake me!!!!), 2) things to look out for, 3) walk around the bench to correct techniques.
halfway through ths pattern i start getting hungry and lose steam.
'eh just follow protocol. you all know how to do right? oooooooooookay just go ahead now.'
in the end, my bench ended on time and got most of their stuff done, other than me not being able to specify what i want to see in their lab reports which I am marking.
i wish i was more informed about my duties. :(
never mind, it's Group 2's turn next week... HAHA!
posted by feline @ 11:31 PM
