TAing for an unresponsive professor??

[bookhousegirl]

Hi all. I'm starting my second semester and I have a new TAship with a professor in my department. We talked briefly when I was first assigned to her class and she said she'd send me the syllabus, reading list, etc, but she hasn't! The class starts tomorrow and I've reached out to her twice now. She wasn't present at a meeting where I was supposed to meet her, and the program director and administrators haven't heard anything from her either (I asked them if they had heard anything from her). I understand she might not have everything together yet, but she hasn't even sent me a "hey, i'm not ready with things yet, give me some time, etc." It's frustrating to me because I'm not sure of my responsibilities for this TAship yet, and I don't even know what material she'll be covering.

This kind of lack of communication really bugs me, and I've heard from others that she can be a bit spacey. I don't want to email her again and bother her, but it seems like she fell off the face of the earth. Has anyone had this kind of experience? Should I just chill out and wait for her to come around?

[rising_star]

Don't keep emailing. You'll see her at the first class and, at that point, you can schedule a meeting to go over the expectations for you as a TA. It's really not as big of a deal as you're making it seem, promise.

[lewin]

On 1/26/2016 at 8:45 PM, rising_star said:

It's really not as big of a deal as you're making it seem, promise.

...and even if it is, it's not your circus. You can only work with what she gives you so take a deep breath and set your expectations in a way that corresponds to her effort.

[Lisa_McCoy]

I had similar communication problems with a professor. While I was frustrated, a fellow TA gave me this great piece of advice - "You are an assistant to this professor. Your job is to aid the professor in his lessons. If the professor is being laid back, you being uptight is not going to help. You have to find the perfect bond which works for both of you." Since that day, I adapted myself to the professor's pace and did my job the way he wanted me to.   

[ShogunT]

How was it going?

Edited May 24, 2016 by ShogunT