I Must Have Been a Terrific TA
As teachers, it’s tremendously rewarding to realize that we made a big difference.
Most of us can remember teachers and mentors who had a significant impact on our lives, for better or for worse. There was the chemistry teacher who made the subject so fascinating that I eventually got three college degrees in the field. A college professor made history come alive and turned it into one of my lifelong interests. A spectacular music teacher in high school helped me love trumpet playing; his ghastly replacement the year later destroyed both our superb band and my interest in the trumpet.
Less often, those of us who teach get to learn of the profound positive impact we had on a student’s life or career. When we do, it’s enormously fulfilling to know that we made a difference. I had just such an experience. It makes me smile every time I think of it.
When I was in my fourth year of graduate school at a huge state university, I was a teaching assistant for the general chemistry class for chemistry majors. A freshman named Bob was in my class. Bob was pleasant and bright, an excellent student. We got better acquainted through discussions during office hours.
Bob had a strong interest in chemistry. I described my PhD research project to him and showed him my lab, which…
