Teaching Assistant

During my study life in this laboratory, I got some opportunity to do some presentation (maybe more than 10) in a year. Today I also did Teaching Assistant (TA) in the Sato sensei’s lecture for 2nd year. This time, Sensei asked me to do a TA suddenly one day before the lecture. Yesterday sensei came to student room and asked me. After that, I said "ok, I will try". I searched and studied some materials related to that topic. A topic was the morphology of grasshoppers. Because that was practice so I did not use powerpoint, I just use the picture which I print from the internet. To help other student understood what will I tell, I asked some Japanese word to Sagae kun. Thank you very much Sagae kun for helping me 😊

Today in the afternoon around 12.50, Sensei came to the student room. Sensei said let me come to the lecture room at 13.20, which mean that only 30 minutes left. I was so surprised because what I knew is the lecture will start at 16.00 according to Yahoo Calendar. Sensei said just made a mistake in the Yahoo Calendar. I was so worried about my presentation. So I try to practice in that short time. Time showed approaching 13.20, it's mean that I need to go to the room. The room was Experimental room on the 2nd floor of the 1st building. I try to relax and enjoy the class. Around 21 students participated.

no picture of the activity, so i just took a picture of specimen↑

At the first time, they need to draw the grasshoppers on the paper, some of them also asked by sensei to draw on the whiteboard. After that sensei asked me to give some comments for each picture. It was really hard to give them comment because I also can not draw well, but I just did it. Some picture was good. For two pictures I said it was like a cartoon (animation) but maybe they did not understand what I mean. So I just said its picture was funny and another one was funnier, and all student suddenly laughed. I am sorry for you (I don’t know your name) I feel so sorry😥. In that time I remembered about 2 years ago, I have the same lecture as them in Indonesia. We need to draw so many insects, I was the person who cannot draw well. So some of my friends did not know and asked what I draw then laugh. Also, the assistant of the lecture when saw my drawing suggested me to draw again and don’t want to receive my report. All of my friends laughed at me again. So I know what he feels hahaha :D It's ok, I can do my lesson practice in Indonesia well even I can not draw. For you also it's ok! Every person have a lack right? No one is perfect! Just be confident and try again.

Ok, lets we continue the story. After they all draw the grasshoppers by seen the specimen and sensei gave some explanation, I did my presentation about morphology of insect especially head part and function of ocelli. I try to speak more slowly and use simple English word due to their English understanding. Some part I try to make a simple quiz and asked them to comment, so we have an interaction. Comment from the last person was said, “it is interesting”. Thank you very much. I hope you all can understand what I said and can remember it.

The last message from me in this story was“If you never try, so you will never know.” So just take every good opportunity to improve your skill. Thank you very much Sato sensei for giving me many good chances during my study life here. I hope I also can improve my public speaking skill.