NotAlice

I would also recommend keeping a log of this student's assignments, rationale for your grading, emails, and your responses. That way if you need a paper trail down the road - for a grade appeal for example - you'll have it ready to go. I would also encourage them to visit your office hours, so you can clarify any confusion they have about the course.

I'm in my third semester of TAing, so not vast experience but some. I find that some students simply do not follow instructions. If you haven't already done so I would consider the following: have someone else read your assignment sheet to make sure you're explaining things clearly and concisely For papers, we're supposed to keep our assignment sheet to two pages recognize that some students may not give your class its full attention - the class I TA for is part of a general studies course, so few people who are truly interested in the subject are you spending some class time addressing the issues, including anticipated problems do they have an example of what a good paper would look like? What is a good thesis, etc. I ended up writing a sample essay for my students as I had a hard time finding one basic enough for a survey level class that covered everything I wanted to cover. One of the hard things about being a TA is that no matter how hard you try, some students will not put in the effort necessary.

I did something different and opted to use a desktop as my main computer. I had it made by a friend, who can then upgrade parts if/when necessary. I have a smaller less pricey laptop that I use for school work. Generally, that's the only information stored on that laptop.

I'm still tweaking my system, but have a few different methods. 1. If it's for my current research, I'll print the front page of the article at least and put it in an "active" folder that I check on a regular basis. If I don't print some marker of its existence, I'll forget about it. 2. If it's for future research, I create a folder in Zotero and put in the information, noting if I've downloaded the article or where the book is located. For instance, I have two projects that may be future research and each one has sub-collection under "Future Projects" in Zotero. 3. Books that may be helpful but I'm not ready to ILL or buy, get put onto an Amazon wish list.

I'm a habitual note taker, so I take notes in all my classes. The discussion classes have fewer notes, but I jot down interesting thoughts and perspectives of others. Some of the lecture courses I've taken involved exams where you needed notes to study. I use A5 sized grid notebooks because they're easier to tote around. I just finished the first year of my master's and so far, I've tweaked my note taking style to involve writing down teaching strategies, sort of watching how the professors handle the classroom dynamics. I also annotate books or articles while reading and then while discussing. The class I TA for is outside of my area of focus, so I take copious notes to ensure I'm grading effectively.

I just posted a vent, so I thought I'd force myself to think of something good. My immediate thought is that I have a full bottle of Margaritas in the fridge and chocolate ice cream in the freezer. ? A more substantive good thing is that a final paper for a class is going to be much easier than I thought, since the professor clarified a few things in class today.

I'm despondent, not quite depressed not quite happy. I'm finishing my first year of grad school and last semester was killer academically, this semester personal issues have plagued me. I expected all of this, even the loneliness of moving away from family and friends. I'm a non-trad student who has an established life "back home," but couldn't do my master's in that town. It's that last few weeks of semester where my own work and TA work is going to be piling in this week, then I'll move home for the summer and regroup. It would be nice if the personal life and academic life both went well for a semester. *sigh*

What field?

One thing to consider if you are renting a house is who will do yard work. For most of the houses I've rented, the tenant was responsible for yard maintenance, so that requires paying someone to do it or owning your own mower and if applicable snow removal equipment.

I'm a TA who gets a stipend and tuition remission. My stipend is paid monthly and treated as income. I received a W2 at the end of the year.

I'm attending a Master's program that is about an hour (highway driving) from home. I opted to move. I crunched the numbers and even gas/wear & tear on the car made moving the better option. Other factors for me were winter weather driving, night classes (so driving home while tired), and missing opportunities because of travel time. I'm also a TA, so I have a desk at school, but it also requires being on campus more. I rent a small apartment and treat it like an office with a bed. It's close to campus so I can go home for lunch and chill. If you're commuting but need to be on campus all day, will you have a place to relax during down time? What I do instead is go home about every 2-3 weeks. I leave on Friday afternoon and stay until Sunday. It's nice to hang out, recharge, and see my friends.

I'm going to make it through this week! ?

I'm moving to my new city in phases. I'm keeping my current home as I'm a non-traditional student living in an inter-generational home, so I don't have to move out all of my stuff. Everything is a mess of boxes, piles of books and clothes. Some I'm taking this week, some next when I'll have more help. I pulled a muscle in my neck and would rather waste time looking at new rugs online. The next few days are going to be hectic, fun and exciting but hectic.

I'm moving about 90 minutes away, to a more expensive rental market. I've been procrastinating and tomorrow is the day I start making phone calls. I've already done a drive-by some places to get an idea of location, which ended up knocking some of the cheaper options off the list because of one reason or another. I did reach out to students and people I know there for recommendations, that helped immensely. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be super competitive. Best of luck in your continued search. I agree with going in person.

I'm starting an MA program in the fall. I've been in touch with my advisor and the admin assistant who handles department paperwork. Both have said that for my school things don't get rolling until the end of June or beginning of July, when the new fiscal year starts I think. I'd be more curious about the GA positions.