It’s September 2008. I am walking toward the first class of my first semester teaching Composition at the University of Windsor as a graduate instructor and I think “I could run the ten blocks back to my car in these heels. Easy.” Next I am in sight of the classroom and notice that a few students are already occupying the desks within. Now I’m thinking, “they’re all grimacing, sneering, whispering about who I’ll be and what I’ll be like. What if I disappoint them? I have to turn back now. I cannot be a GA.” But I didn’t turn back. And I did become a graduate instructor.

My role as an instructor of Composition at the University of Windsor was a rewarding experience because I was lucky enough to have a supportive and dynamic community of fellow GAs (and a wonderful supervisor) who guided me to create interesting lesson plans, taught me to implement multimodal delivery of course content, and helped me to develop successful presentation and facilitation skills. I was also able to expand my GA community by joining a community through the Centre for Teaching and Learning where I understood the pedagogy behind my practice and became immersed in GA teaching and learning
communities on other Canadian campuses and in universities in the U.S.A.

While I cannot pinpoint the particular moment in which I thought “this is it, I’m an instructor now,” I do know that having numerous GATA Learning Communities at my fingertips is evidence of my commitment to become a better teacher than the one I was yesterday. My role as the GATA Handbook Editor is an opportunity for me to pay it forward; I want to help foster teaching and learning environments that motivate TAs and GAs to improve their practice and in turn the education of their students.

What would be your ideal learning community? Where would it be? How often would you meet? What issues would you like to discuss?