The worst part about being a TA is grading. It’s time consuming, it’s difficult, and you’re just going to piss people off.
Handed back tests last week and have already had two complaints and another tomorrow. I am most definitely not looking forward to it. It’s not that I’m wrong—I think I can justify the grade I gave. I’m going to give him the same answer that upset me when I was in his position. I’m going to have to give him an answer he isn’t going to want to hear.
See, I like to spread joy, not hate.
And it gets to a fundamental aspect of this job: I don’t love it. I don’t bleed it like some do. I don’t like reading, I don’t like writing, and I hate grading. But I like learning. And I love talking about it. This is exactly why I like TAing overall: it’s just one big conversation if you do it right. It should be fun, for both me and the student.
Being on the other side clears up a lot of reasoning I questioned when I was the one being graded. Funny how that happens.