4 answers
5
Questions
Asked
978 views
Can you be a teacher assistant as an undergraduate?
I'm still not sure if math education is the right choice for me and I want to see if I can do it as an undergrad to test the waters.
Login to comment
4 answers
Updated
Karissa’s Answer
You could but are not getting any experience that would help you make a decision. Teaching high school is focused on helping young people enter adulthood. Teaching college math is about math. Try to volunteer in a high school math class. Visit all class periods every day of the week. This will show you what you are getting yourself into.
Updated
Meghan’s Answer
Many education programs in undergrad will require or encourage you to complete "service learning," where you will go into actual classrooms and shadow the teacher as well as perform some teaching yourself (with their supervision). You can think of this as a precursor to student teaching, another step that many universities require as part of their education degrees. You could speak to the advisors at your chosen institution about this to better understand the options before you get too far into your major.
In my experience, however, you could also reach out to math teachers in your own schools or town and they would likely be willing to have you shadow them for a few hours and/or provide other steps on how to determine if this is a good fit!
In my experience, however, you could also reach out to math teachers in your own schools or town and they would likely be willing to have you shadow them for a few hours and/or provide other steps on how to determine if this is a good fit!
Updated
Rian’s Answer
Hi Helen,
You can definitely be a teaching assistant as an undergraduate. Typically this requires you to take the class, and excel in it. During the class you can work on building a relationship with the professor and near the end of the class, you can ask/apply for being a teaching assistant for that class. Certain classes will be more competitive than others but you can most likely find something that suits your interests!
You can definitely be a teaching assistant as an undergraduate. Typically this requires you to take the class, and excel in it. During the class you can work on building a relationship with the professor and near the end of the class, you can ask/apply for being a teaching assistant for that class. Certain classes will be more competitive than others but you can most likely find something that suits your interests!
Updated
Jennifer’s Answer
You can be a teacher assistant as an undergraduate. I'd say to look for schools you'd like and ask the staff for any opportunities in shadowing. This way, you can build a relationship with the teacher you shadow and create a healthy working relationship. Maybe they'll let you help out in the classroom after shadowing for awhile, who knows? You just have to take the first step forward and maybe hand out a resume to show the school how interested you are in being a teaching assistant!