In the Monsoon semester, I took on a new role at Ashoka. I became an undergraduate teaching assistant (TA) under Professor Debayan Gupta at the Department of Computer Science. Although common in universities abroad, TAships are very uncommon in Indian universities – especially at the undergraduate level.

As teaching assistants, students who are still pursuing their degrees, assist a specific faculty member with instructional and administrative responsibilities. In my two years at Ashoka, I’ve always loved interacting with my TAs and have engaged in many riveting conversations with them, both inside and outside the classroom. In fact, it was one of my TAs, who encouraged me to apply for the role. So in my third year, when the opportunity arrived, I applied for a TAship with the hope of becoming for my juniors, what my TAs had been for me.

As a first-time TA, I stepped into the role with no idea about the work that goes behind the scenes to ensure that students have an enriching learning experience. Needless to say, I realised that it was quite different from what I had thought it would be like. Being a TA was a lot of fun, but at the same time, it also required considerable time, commitment, and effort. The job was much more than just curating problem sets, grading homework, maintaining student records, and holding office hours. As TAs, we are responsible for the students’ learning experience. As a 19-year-old that was a little daunting at first. Making problem sets didn’t mean googling questions related to specific topics and copy-pasting them onto a document. It meant that I had to understand what was being taught at the requisite proficiency level. In his book, Teaching Tips, Wilbert McKeachie claimed that teaching is often more effective than being taught when one is trying to learn. I experienced this first-hand during my tenure as a TA.

Holding office hours, as trivial as it might sound, was probably one of the most rewarding aspects of this job. As a woman in a highly male-dominated discipline, there was a persistent feeling of self-doubt. However, a few weeks into my journey as a TA, I realised this fear had somehow subsided. I went from being hesitant to speak in class to comfortably interacting with over 60 students during my office hours. Not only did my self-esteem get a huge boost, but my self-perception also changed. This also helped me work better with students – early on in the semester, I had decided not to restrict myself to the traditional, contractual duties that I was supposed to perform. I tried my best to tailor my approach to suit the students’ specific needs. By the end of the course, many of them – including those who had no background in the discipline – told me that they weren’t afraid of coding anymore. This would definitely be counted amongst one of my most cherished moments at Ashoka.

Apart from gains on the personal front, my TAship also allowed me to test the waters of academia. I started appreciating the monumental effort that is required in the smooth functioning of a class. It gave me the grounding that I needed to seriously consider a life as an academic. Working closely with Prof. Gupta allowed me the privilege of peeking into their pedagogical methods and thinking style from the other side of the classroom. At the same time, I also learnt the importance of striking a balance between my personal and professional life. Interactions with fellow TAs really helped me in this regard. Fortunate enough to have found a group of extremely encouraging and dependable co-TAs, I was never left alone to navigate this uncharted territory.

With my TAship coming to an end, I am pleased to have been able to interact with a group of diverse, bright, hardworking, and fun people. My undergraduate TAship at Ashoka put me on a forum that most people do not get to experience until they have graduated from college and I’m thoroughly grateful for that. Through this job, I found people I admire, furthered my passion for computer science, and most of all discovered my love for teaching.

Isha Singh is an undergraduate student from the class of 2022. She is a computer science major. In the future, Isha wishes to specialise in the field of machine learning.