Quitting TAing

[Fakesmile]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I've just started TAing for the first time, a gen chem lab.
It's taking a toll on me, both time-wise and mentally.

Time-wise, I need to put in like ten hours of preparation time every week (reading manual, text, and doing problems)... I need to do this much prep because I sucked at gen chem lab when I took it (it's a miracle how I came to TA this despite getting a B+ on the course, lol) and to make things worse, it's been over four years since I took the course. Also, I have to try the experiment on my own, which takes like 3 hours. And then I TA two lab sessions every week, four hours each, for a total of eight hours per week. And there is also report marking to do every week, taking like three hours. All this sums to over 20 hours per week.

Mentally, I need to give a roughly 5-minute mini-lecture at the beginning of every lab. This isn't much, you may say, but the 5-minute feels like a total nightmare, anxiety-hell for me. Just preparing for it is a challenge, both because I don't feel like I know the material very well and because I have difficulty explaining things verbally. I also have a social anxiety and lack of confidence. What's worse, my English sucks, so my students are unfortunate to have me as their TA.

I wish I had enough time to consider taking the TAship when I was first notified about the decision, but the deadline to submit the confirmation was only a week after the notification so I had to decide rather quickly.

What I want to know is how I can quit from my TAship in the second week of the semester? Someone I know said I should get a substitute to fill the position for me, but that's impossible for me. If I just quit, then I hope the school will find a way to deal with it. But still, I am looking for any solutions.
Sorry, I'm really sleep-deprived right now so this may read like a scatter-brained thread. I'd appreciate some great suggestions.

 

[Tapepsi]

If it's really taking a toll on you, I'd ask the professor if you can quit. You may not be able to but it's worth a try. Keep in mind though that you've just started and that it will get easier for both the prep and speaking in front of a class.

But I mean...you shouldn't just quit and hope that they find a replacement, that's being irresponsible. You took this TAship and you're being relied on by, not one, but two lab sessions.

 

[noshie]

To be honest, you should try to stick with it... I just recently finished teaching a biology course and a few labs this last semester... It was way more work than TAing since I was a college level professor. I also regreted taking the position the second I took it. The main thing that freaked me out was the fact that I would be standing in front of a room full of students that were staring at me and expecting me to teach them. Sounds odd, but it really is a lot of pressure. Even though I was teaching 7 hours a week, I had to put about 30 hours into making powerpoints, tests, quizzes and grading. However, looking back now after finishing the semester, I am proud that I finished what I started, and I know that I gained a LOT of skills from it. It was probably one of the best experiences I have ever had.

I truly believe that if you stick with this, your fear will subside, and you will get a lot out of this experience. You obviously need to build your confidence and communicating skills, this will be a way to do that... Not to mention how great it will look on your resume and your med school applications... Also, quitting after making a commitment to teaching the class is going to look very bad, and it kind of makes you look like you can't handle responsibility... Just get organized, and it will make all of the time constraints much better.