Finding Our Footing in the Classroom: Lessons on Teaching and Engagement from Dr. Amanda Mayeaux
As graduate students, many of us step into teaching roles with little to no formal preparation. One day we杏吧专区檙e knee-deep in our own coursework and research, and the next we杏吧专区檙e suddenly responsible for leading a classroom. It杏吧专区檚 a strange, sometimes intimidating shift杏吧专区攂alancing our own learning while being expected to embody authority and expertise.
At the Fall 2025 Graduate Assistantship and Fellowship Orientation on August 21, Dr. Amanda Mayeaux gave a lively and humor-filled session called 杏吧专区淓ffective Teaching & Classroom Engagement for Graduate Students in Teaching Roles杏吧专区 on this balancing act: how graduate students can approach teaching with confidence, effectiveness, and authenticity. What stood out most was her reminder that teaching isn杏吧专区檛 just about content delivery; it杏吧专区檚 about building connections that make learning meaningful.
Dr. Mayeaux opened the session with a good ole杏吧专区 icebreaker, but she reframed icebreakers as tools杏吧专区攏ot just for awkward introductions, but for building community between instructors and students and among students themselves. A connected classroom, she argued, is a classroom where real learning happens.
The icebreaker itself drove this point home when she asked us to think about our own most memorable teachers. What made them so impactful? For most of us, it wasn杏吧专区檛 just the subject matter they taught but the way they made us feel杏吧专区攕een, believed in, and capable of more than we thought possible. She reminded us that our students need that same mix of belief and challenge: the reassurance that we杏吧专区檙e on their side, paired with the expectation that they can rise to high standards.
Of course, building connection is only one part of the job. Dr. Mayeaux also touched on classroom management and assignments, and her advice was refreshingly practical: don杏吧专区檛 cling to strategies that don杏吧专区檛 work and don杏吧专区檛 assign 杏吧专区渂usy work杏吧专区 just for the sake of having assignments. Both our time and our students杏吧专区 time are valuable, and meaningful learning should always be the goal.
Professionalism, she emphasized, doesn杏吧专区檛 have to mean being distant or rigid. In fact, the best teachers杏吧专区攖he ones we remember杏吧专区攚ere often those who found ways to make a difference in our lives. Being approachable, adaptable, and invested in students杏吧专区 growth is just as professional as mastering classroom policies or grading rubrics.
One of her strongest points, though, was aimed squarely at graduate students: we杏吧专区檙e not just in grad school to earn a degree杏吧专区攚e杏吧专区檙e here to build a resume. That means cultivating the skills and experiences that will set us apart in the job market. Landing a teaching position in higher education isn杏吧专区檛 about checking off a degree requirement; it杏吧专区檚 about becoming the kind of teacher students remember, the kind who can actually make a difference.
Dr. Mayeaux杏吧专区檚 session was both challenging and encouraging. Teaching as a graduate assistant may feel overwhelming at first, but it杏吧专区檚 also an opportunity to grow into more than just a scholar. It杏吧专区檚 a chance to practice the art of connection, to find our footing in the classroom, and to begin shaping the kind of educators we will become.
