No Donuts For You
Last Thursday was the last day of class for the course that I've been TA'ing this term. On top of the actual course content to be covered, there were class evaluations to be completed and the inevitable questions about the final exam.
But there were no donuts to be seen.
I've TA'd this course for four years now but I've only bought donuts for one batch of students. There was something about teaching that group of students that made me want to convey to them how much I had enjoyed teaching them. There was a bond. There was rapport. There was chemistry.
Hence, I bought donuts. Chocolate-covered, cream-filled, and sprinkle-laden.
This year's group of students wasn't horrible. They did their homework most weeks, came to class on time, and contributed to the discussions. A few even intend to pursue further degrees in this field. But I didn't sense that something between the students and me. No bond. No rapport. No chemistry.
And so, in the absence of that something, I say to this batch of students, "No donuts for you."
2 comments:
you are so funny! you sound like a mom saying, "No dessert for you tonight!"
and to think, all this time, i thought ta's bought donuts just to sway our evaluation of them... you mean, they may have actually been trying to convey a message of thanks? wow... :-)
B.W., donuts might actually be intended by other TAs to sway the evaluations. I couldn't speak for all of us.
(And I'll try not to feel queasy about sounding like a mom, since I know how highly you esteem motherhood. I was actually alluding to Seinfeld.)
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