TAs in the Classroom

khongjennifer07
Sep 25
3 min read

By Sarah Perez Sept. 24, 2025

In a quiet corner of the classroom, a diligent student performs a series of tasks, many of which make their job as a teacher assistant (TA) indispensable to the school classrooms. Although varying from classroom to classroom, their main responsibility is to support teachers in facilitating a smooth classroom experience.

In the AP Calculus AB and Accelerated Algebra 2 classes of Katrina Thoman, Math Department, her TAs help hand back papers, collect assignments, and check three problems of students’ homework for completion. TAs in her classroom do not often interact with her students, but are readily available when help is needed.

“I ask my TAs to work with specific students when they need extra support, though not often necessary. The TAs also step in when an additional partner is needed for group assignments. Filling in these gaps is difficult without a TA; they are essential to my classroom workflow,” Thoman said.

In her AP Calculus AB class, her TAs will report commonly missed questions on homeworks to Thoman, to help her better prepare her students for the AP exam. Though TAs comment on students' work, all papers go through Thoman before the final grades are inputted. Precision is a necessity in their work; thus, Thoman wants her TAs to be organized, meticulous and consistent. With their help, Thoman has more availability to support the students during class time.

“As Ms. Thoman’s TA, I learned just how time-consuming grading can be, sometimes checking more than 200 problems a day. On top of teaching, she managed the peer tutoring program and often stayed after school for meetings. I developed a newfound respect for all teachers—what I did is nothing compared to the effort they put in,” Senior Max Nguyen said.

Because of the level of expertise required of TAs, Thoman only takes former students who have received a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus AB exam. Already familiar with her teaching style, they are ready to begin supporting students with minimal training.

TAs in the classes of Jennifer Touchton, English Department, are usually seniors who have taken her AP English Language & Composition class; however, there are no strict requirements on scoring because Touchton believes that her AP students are mainly already motivated strong writers. She similarly values soft skills and traits such as work ethic and disposition in her selection process. They are placed with the responsibility to deliver personalized feedback on student writing—a learning experience for both the assistants and students.

“I was looking for correct usage of quotes and analysis, but often found myself reading summaries and asking questions to get the context. Through examining writing of varying skill sets, I was also noticing what I could improve or avoid in my own writing,” Gwen Caroll, a graduated Touchton TA, said.

In such large classrooms, TAs have become a reliable source of information and individualized help when teachers are occupied with other students or tasks.

“When my TAs are tutoring peers, they are generally very good at approaching students respectfully. Students may actually feel better taking advice from a TA than me due to the closeness in age,” Touchton said.

Indeed, Junior Tapasya Pillai has had an overall positive experience with the tutoring she receives from her AP Biology TA.

“My TA guides me through the textbook with individualized assistance, clarifying any questions I may have. They are very easy to talk to and are often available during tutorial to provide tips as a student knowledgeable about the class structure and its materials,” Pillai said.

When asked if she would recommend students to apply for TA positions, Touchton encouraged all to try.

“Regardless of whether it fits in their schedule, I urge any students who wish to become a TA to apply. They will gain more confidence through helping other students, and will get to experience a lot of the work of being a teacher,” Touchton said.

The TA experience offers students the opportunity to develop confidence and leadership skills as they serve teachers and their classrooms. In turn, their presence may enrich the classroom experience, effectively bridging the gap between teachers and students and reducing the workload for teachers.

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