In a classroom setting, the teacher traditionally instructs students and leads the class though some teachers may have assistance. Teacher’s assistants are students who choose to use their free period to help a teacher.

Teachers may consider various factors before accepting a TA. For science teacher Lizzy Ho, knowing what kind of character her soon-to-be teacher’s assistant has is important.

“My requirement is to be a student I’ve had before. They have to be a good student who’s responsible, respectful and that I can count on doing all the things that I ask them to do,” Ho said.

Rather than a focus on whether the teacher’s assistant is a past student, science teacher Arielle Martinka ensures that her students have a clear understanding of her expectations.

“I always try to see if there’s anything else they could do with their time because I don’t feel very confident that I’m always fulfilling an enriching experience (for the TA),” Martinka said. “So before someone becomes my TA, I usually ask them, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to take an art class? Have you taken ceramics? That’s really fun.’”

As a teacher’s assistant, senior Ashley Braga gets a first-person look at the preparation that goes into arranging class labs. Science teachers often have TAs because lab setup can be tedious and time consuming.

“The teachers, especially the science teachers, who do so much for lab prep and stuff like that, it (lab prep) takes so long, and I don’t even know how they manage it without a TA,” Braga said.

Students often choose to TA for a teacher who has previously taught them. When deciding which teacher to help out, Braga chose to be a teacher’s assistant for Ho, whom she had a good experience with when she was a student in her class.

“I had Mrs. Ho last year as my Biotech teacher. I really liked her class and I really liked her, so I thought it’d be fun to TA for her,” Braga said.

Aside from helping teachers complete certain tasks, being a TA can foster an opportunity to strengthen the student-teacher bond.

Senior Ryan Song is a teacher’s assistant for science teacher Sara Carvalho. He noted how being a TA has allowed him to build a closer relationship with her.

“I think definitely there’s not really that much of a teacher-student dynamic. I feel like you’re just kind of friends in a way,” Song said.

Many students feel being a teacher’s assistant is never wasted as students can have various options for what to do with their time. When the student’s help is not needed for any of the teacher’s tasks, they are able to use that class period as a way to relax or get work done from other classes.

“Most of the time I do have to help her with things, but when I don’t, it gives me a good opportunity to get work done,” Braga said. “It’s an hour and a half that I might otherwise not be doing anything.”

Ho values the flexibility that being a teacher’s assistant allows. She believes that while she gets an extra hand, the students get to have a place to stay where they can work on their own assignments.

“It’s kind of a win-win in my opinion. They get to sit in a classroom, work on their homework, and they also help me at the same time,” Ho said.

Being a teacher’s assistant can allow students to get insight on teacher responsibilities that may not have been known otherwise. Understanding the responsibilities can encourage students to help relieve the teacher of some of their tasks.

After becoming a TA, Song learned about the work that teachers have to do and how he can have an impact on getting it done.

“I didn’t know this before. They honestly have lots of stuff to grade. There’s lots on their plate,” Song said. “I think TAs lighten that load and things that teachers don’t have time to do that the TAs can. I think that’s really helpful.”

For Braga, she has taken her TA skills to the classroom, becoming more skillful in certain tasks.

“I feel like it’s made me more confident in my Biotech classes and science classes with handling equipment and doing labs,” Braga said. “I used to get really anxious during (Intro to Biotech), but now I’m chill.”

The role the TA plays can vary from class to class. Teacher’s assistants can help clear tasks that lift some weight off the teacher’s shoulders. Martinka has noted that her TAs have positively impacted how her class functions.

“Maybe not the literal running of the class but in my functioning, I’d say TAs have been really helpful to me,” Martinka said. “I genuinely feel like the TAs are positively impacting my class.”