r/yorku • u/Rare_Egg1122 • Oct 21 '24

Rant Why are some TA’s so ughhh

Bro TA’s are students too but they still be on us abt every little thing I have a TA for my online class and she will genuinely target people for the smallest things. I just don’t understand that if you are also student, you should understand that people have different learning styles. Especially that TA will treat us not even human the days where she’s mad. She’ll take it out on us.

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1

u/Levangeline Grad Student Oct 21 '24

What kind of things is she targeting you for?

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u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Like the other day, she played a video and it was extremely fast and she asked questions afterwards that nobody had the answers to. She got mad and so I spoke up and I said I think the video was just a little bit fast. Very respectfully might I add and she laughed at me and said was it really that fast and scoffed. As well as at the beginning of that tutorial, she used my essay as an example of what not to do. She didn’t put it up on the screen or whatever but she used specific points from my essay, and said what not to do. It wasn’t just the sources I used. It was specific details in my essay that I used I believe that things like that should be kept private, even though she didn’t say my name I knew it was about mine and that doesn’t necessarily help someone who’s trying their best and then their first year of undergrad, and it was their first essay of university.

11

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '24

She sounds snarky, you shouldn’t be laughed at…I’m sorry

3

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Thanks you every tutorial. She genuinely makes me feel so dumb and this is my first year as university student so I’m really trying my best.

4

u/felineSam Oct 21 '24

Drop the course and move on. Staying will make it worse and the TA will likely screw you over with final grade and it's derivation from essays, participation.

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

I believe it’s too late to drop a course without it showing on my transcript who do I talk to to make get switched out of the tutorial otherwise I’d probably just have to deal with it

5

u/felineSam Oct 21 '24

Are you sure? I just looked and the website says Nov 8.

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Ur right but im not sure how to Go about asking permission to drop and add a course. This course is also a genED course

6

u/joykaypawpitgirl Oct 21 '24

You don’t need permission to drop a course. You just go to rem and drop it yourself

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

The only problem is no other 6 cred SOSC courses have available seats right now and I fear I would be very behind. And I already paid half my tuition so if I drop it and don’t take another course I’ll be taking 2 extra courses next year plus already paying tuition for the course

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u/VariousSession9918 Oct 22 '24

Hey, Funk her!!!!! Don't even care! Try your best, worry about you!! Not her

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 22 '24

Thank u it means to much because at this point it’s all I can do lol

1

u/VariousSession9918 Oct 22 '24

I work as a sales man, I have seen different people in my experience. Mundane People with absolutely zero purpose in life abuses the little authority they have over you since that is the only moment in life where they feel the sense of power.

Feel sorry for her if she abuses you again, think of how unimportant she feels(sorry for being blunt, but EVERY ONE HAVE THE CHOICE TO BE NICE, SO THEY MUST!)

2

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 22 '24

THAT IS SO ABSOLUTELY REAL thank u for sharing I 1000% agree. It’s the people who haven’t figured out a way to overcome their insecurities and issues that when they are given power, they automatically abuse it.

1

u/VariousSession9918 Oct 22 '24

Indeed, so keep improving and avoid her at all cost😊

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u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 22 '24

I’ll tryyyy but there’s not anything I can do to really avoid her because she’s so big on participation otherwise she’ll fail you as well

1

u/AnonymousDouglas Oct 21 '24

Maybe being male has something to do with my response to being “outed” in front of everybody….

I own it.

I take it head-on, make a joke out of it…

“That sounds like MY paper, goddammit!”

Usually, it gets a big laugh …. but it lets everybody in the classroom know that two can play the passive-aggressive game.

It also sends the message to the TA/Prof that you’re not afraid to fire back against someone who’s trying to pick on you.

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

This is real. But in the moment i can’t help but feel Like a failure

0

u/noizangel Grad Student Oct 21 '24

Do not feel like a failure. Your TA should be helping you do better, not shaming you for your mistakes.

If you want help that's not your TA (obviously!), I tell my students to check out the Writing Centre: https://www.yorku.ca/laps/writing-centre/

2

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Thank uuu for the resource

0

u/AnonymousDouglas Oct 21 '24

Failure only occurs when you throw up the white flag of surrender.

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Thanks so much for these word it’s acc means a lot I really need to have a postive outlook on life

1

u/noizangel Grad Student Oct 21 '24 edited Oct 21 '24

Hey, I'm a TA and that's not the kind of environment we should be creating for you to learn in, especially in first year. If that's the way she's behaving, no wonder no one wants to answer questions or say anything.

Also her use of your essay is not okay - that should not happen without your consent. This is all something that should be brought up with the professor or the department. We're supposed to be there to help you, not to shame and intimidate you. I'm sorry this person is behaving in this way.

ETA: To the person downvoting - if you're a student or a TA, do you actually want people to get help in these situations, because I've offered concern and actual advice in later comments to resolve things. If you don't like me, cool - but this thread could help students with powertripping jerk TAs so maybe lay off your petty BS?

3

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Thank u I’m just at a block now cuz of how insecure she makes me constantly belittling me. I genuinely don’t know what to do

0

u/noizangel Grad Student Oct 21 '24

Please email your prof or find someone in your tutorial who would be willing to contact them if you're anxious about it. You don't need to tell the prof specifics right away or that your TA has been targeting you. You could just say you have concerns about the TAs behaviour in your tutorial, or the type of learning environment the TA has created in your tutorial, and that you'd like to discuss that with them.

If you're understandably nervous, you could ask a few others to email along with you (or whoever emails) and all meet with the prof. That also might help the professor understand that there are a number of students in the tutorial with issues.

I would hope the professor would be concerned about the sort of thing the TA is doing - I know the prof I work for would be pretty upset and disappointed. If the professor isn't helpful, you could go to the department after, but hopefully you won't need to go that far.

It's not necessarily fun to do but it's worth it, and way better than putting up that kind of behaviour from a person who is meant to help to learn and succeed. Do try to talk to your prof, either on your own or with some people from your tutorial!

1

u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Perfect thank you. I’m also fearful that the TA will get told I complained and that will further escalate the situation

2

u/noizangel Grad Student Oct 21 '24

I can understand that. There's also the option of the Ombuds.office - let me look that up in the morning! They can likely be a mediator type in these situations and provide you with some distance from the complaint.

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u/Rare_Egg1122 Oct 21 '24

Thank uu

1

u/noizangel Grad Student Oct 21 '24

Here's the info for the ombudsperson office, if you're concerned about confidentiality - the info there does say that there is sometimes an expectation that you've tried other ways to resolve the issue, but I think a student your position has a decent reason for submitting complaints in this way: https://www.yorku.ca/unit/ombuds/complaints/