Once a freshman sitting in the chairs of a Biology Enriched Honors class, sophomore Zayna Hafeez traded her seat as a student for a role as a Teacher Assistant (TA), helping students while taking on responsibilities that lighten her teacher’s workload.
The Titan Teaching Assistant Program (TAP) was officially piloted in 2021, by John O’Malley, Math Teacher and Teaching and Learning Coordinator, and Science Teacher Cheryl Simon, to provide students with leadership opportunities, O’Malley said. While both teachers had TAs for years before the program’s debut, their coordinated efforts have since expanded the program, O’Malley said.
“A TA can tell me things I don’t see,” O’Malley said. “All my TAs have provided different insights that I would never have thought of. Students don’t always tell their teachers everything, but sometimes they’re more comfortable talking to a TA who can then help.”
As a TA, Hafeez helps prepare and organize labs, from cleaning and drying pennies as materials to placing termites into disks, Hafeez said. The most rewarding part of being a TA is the connections with teachers and students, Hafeez added.
“Students start talking to me about stuff after they finish their work and I have grown to appreciate that,” Hafeez said. “It is a unique opportunity to get to know people through a different lens.”
As a TA in Drawing 1, senior Maggie Scheftner offers critiques and assistance to students, while also setting up and passing out materials for projects, she said. Through these interactions, she has strengthened her communication skills and built connections across grades, Scheftner explained.
“A lot of the students have never taken an art class before, but the students like the results they get through putting in hard work,” Scheftner said. “Helping foster that provides a good community.”
While TAs work alongside students in the classroom, Lab Assistants (Lab Aides) support teachers behind the scenes, Science Teacher Deborah Stein said. By taking on tasks that otherwise take up valuable planning time, Lab Aides help teachers to focus more on lesson planning and student support, Stein explained.
“Lab aides allow me to be more efficient because I can focus on things I need to do to that benefit my students,” Stein said. “Being able to offload tasks makes it better for everything.”
Junior Irene Kim’s job as a Lab Aide includes task such as organizing and labeling craft supplies. This role has given her a new perspective on the preparation required to make classroom activities run smoothly, Kim said.
“Being a Lab Aide gives me something to do and I was able to build new relationships with teachers that I otherwise wouldn’t have met,” Kim said.
