When was the last time you rode a bike? Maybe a week ago, a year ago, 5 years ago?

Learning, or relearning, chemistry is a lot like riding a bike – except the chain falls off, repeatedly.

On Week 2 of my chemistry PhD, I received a crash course on how to be a general chemistry teaching assistant, or TA.

Last week I thought that this week would be “similar in content and less physically demanding” compared to RA training.

I was SO wrong. Could not be any farther off. I was so exhausted from the information overload and socializing that I fell asleep at 7:30pm on Wednesday.

During the training, I learned about the policies, philosophy, and content covered in the general chemistry courses here. It differs greatly from my undergrad because it’s definitely more challenging for the student. The topics are covered more in-depth and the questions require more problem solving and critical thinking. There’s no multiple choice or fill in the blank questions. Learning is not about memorization and regurgitation, but comprehension and application.

Even though it is more challenging, there are also many avenues of support and engagement to encourage their success – active learning methods, group participation, help desk, office hours, online support forums, etc. I wish I had this type of support as an undergrad. Even though I received A’s in general chemistry, I don’t know if I truly LEARNED anything.

Throughout the week, we simulated as students, so that we could empathize with them better. We received mock quizzes, assignments, and labs. As I looked at the content of the material, I realized that I couldn’t do this off the top of my head.

Many times I thought, “My chemistry knowledge sucks. Why am I here?”

I had to remind myself every day that it’s OK, or even expected, for me to be rusty. The last time I took gen chem was at least 6 years ago, and the last time I studied any chemistry was at least 3 years ago. It’s natural for me to forget. I can always learn again – which I definitely will as I sit in on gen chem lectures along with my students.

As I have learned what TAs do, I reflected on my experience with past TAs and teachers, and how it informs what I will do with my own students.

Here are my 3 takeaways on how to be a good chemistry TA.

Remember that we were undergrads in chemistry before.

It’s easy to look at a student’s work and think, “Wow, they’re so dumb for making this mistake. I would never make this mistake.”

Based on my own experiences this week as a student, I can say that I’ve definitely made those “dumb” mistakes. I made many, many mistakes.

This is an easy mistake to make, especially now that we are farther along in our STEM/chem journeys. We FORGET that we were once in their shoes. One of my classmates said this well:

I noticed that some people seemed excited to punish students academically or humiliate them for their lack of chemistry knowledge, or college experience in general. It’s also not surprising to me that the people who advocated for more punitive grading rubrics and policies were primarily white and male.

Ironically, we had a DEI workshop training (led by a white man and woman) about recognizing our positions of power and using that to inform our cultivating learning environment. It seems that the concepts of power and privilege were not absorbed well (the training itself was questionable at best) as many still walked away with this mentality of “I suffered so others must suffer too.”

This belief perpetuates a vicious cycle that permeates our society, and is especially prevalent in academia. When we approach teaching this way, we are potentially pushing out people who already feel like they don’t belong. It’s important that we approach teaching from the beginner’s mindset. When we think from their shoes and empathize with them, we can help them learn more effectively.

Create an inclusive and positive learning environment.

As TAs, we are in positions of power. We cultivate the learning environment, help our students learn, and grade their work. We are their role models, for better or for worse.

It’s already bad enough that students are under pressure to do well (for whatever reason they believe). Having a TA who belittles, dismisses, and disrespects them only makes the learning environment worse.

Here are some things that I will do personally (influenced from my own experiences) to cultivate an inclusive and positive learning environment.

1. Pronounce people’s names correctly. If you don’t catch it, ask them to repeat it. Sound it out or ask them to write a simple prounounciation. Pronouncing someone’s name correctly is just being DECENT. (I always introduce myself as Britt-tan-nee at least twice. People insist that it’s Britt-nee. I usually let it go, but recently someone ROLLED their eyes at me when I corrected them. Don’t be this person.) 
2. Give students the benefit of the doubt. We are only teaching assistants. We are not professors, and we are not the police. There’s no reason to be suspicious, accusatory, or aggressive with students, especially with grading and policies. We are only the messengers – we enforce the policies, but not the decision makers. That’s way above our pay grade, honestly.
3. Provide opportunities for students to bond and choose their own learning experiences. The chemistry program here is very big on group work. As a TA, my job is to facilitate group work. There are many different ways to sort people in groups, but I decided to do it in 3 different ways – assigned group, random groups, and choose-your-own group. On the first day, I plan to have the students sort themselves out in groups alphabetically by first name (so they all learn each other’s names!) I used a random number assignment for two other sets of assigned groups. For random groups, I will group them by stickers (because stickers are fun!) or colored sticky notes. Lastly, I also want them to have the freedom to choose their own groups, so there will be certain weeks for that.
4. Observe students’ behavior to ensure everyone can contribute when they want, and intervene when needed. Sometimes during group work, certain people like to dominate the conversation. Some people may do it intentionally or unintentionally. At best, it is inconsiderate; at worst, it’s gatekeeping. If I need to intervene, I will – being an RA has helped me get over the “awkwardness” of these types of conversations. Hopefully, this won’t be necessary.

Develop your own teaching style from your past positive learning experiences.

Instead of starting from scratch or thinking that we need to learn new teaching methods, we can create our own teaching styles by using what we liked from our learning experiences in the past.

Some of the best teachers I had in undergrad were my chemistry TAs. They were kind, knowledgeable, yet firm. They were clear about their expectations for me as a student and were straightforward and honest with their feedback. Instead of shaming me when I struggled or messed up, they provided guidance and helped me stay calm.

One example of this was during my first distillation in an organic chemistry lab. For the distillation, it required an elaborate set-up, which was pictured in a diagram. I’m not great with diagrams, so it took me much longer than my classmates to assemble it. When I finished, I plugged the water hose in and let the distillation start.

After a while, the water hose popped off, and I immediately freaked out. I called the TA in a panic, asking him what I should do. I wanted to cry because I thought I had to start over. It was already too late to start from scratch.

My TA reassured me that everything was OK, and I didn’t need to worry. He calmly turned off the water, put the hose back into the condenser, and restarted the distillation. By observing his calm reaction, I also calmed down and finished the distillation successfully. 

Many of our students may have never been in a lab before, and may also be intimidated by the workload. Part of our expertise is helping them navigate the new lab environment and setting a good example of how to operate in the lab.

In physical chemistry, the TA was very clear and straightforward about his expectations for us. He gave us the blueprint on how to succeed in the class and work with him. At this point, I was new to the chemistry program, since I switched from engineering, so I followed his plan. I was NOT taking any chances.

Every week, my lab partner and I attended his office hours with a draft of our lab reports and prepared multiple questions about the data analysis and interpretation. He reviewed our work and gave us hints on how to improve our lab reports so that we could get A’s. We took his advice and revised our reports accordingly. The following week, we received our reports back with A’s every single time.

At the same time, many of our classmates chose NOT to follow his advice, so they received lower grades and complained about how strict he was. I encouraged my classmates to attend his office hours so that they could receive the valuable tips that our TA provided. However many of them still chose not to. This was when I realized that students will be students. Some will be motivated and attentive, others might not care or want to coast by.

The best way to manage this is by setting clear expectations and being consistent with all students. We can help those who want to be helped, and we remind those who are not yet ready to be helped that we are available. Whether or not they choose to get help is up to them. Ultimately the students, not us, are responsible for their own success and results. 

Up next

Next week will be the first official week of school! I’m super excited about my schedule (as seen below).

• Purple indicates self-care, such as cooking, eating, showering, sleeping, etc.
• Yellow indicates classes or work, anything chemistry-related.
• Orange indicates a productivity chunk, allocated for preparing for classes, doing homework, going to lab rotations, etc.

It might seem like overkill to schedule all these things. However, in undergrad, I often skipped these things to work more. It eventually led to intermittent periods of heightened anxiety and depression. This reminds me that yes, I do need to eat, shower, and sleep, to be a normal functioning person.

Productivity chunks is a concept that I learned from Dr. Toyin Alli of The Academic Society. The idea is that we plan WHEN we will be productive, instead of WHAT we will do. This provides us the structure of when to get things done and flexibility about what needs to get done.

I hope that you enjoyed reading about my personal experience and takeaways from my chemistry PhD journey. If you’d like to chat more about what I’ve shared, feel free to send me an email at hello@brittanytrinh.com.