In addition to expertise in their fields, international teaching assistants add a valuable international dimension to the University's instructional program. Because of the support provided by their departments, most new non-native teaching assistants adjust to their instructional role without undue difficulties. However, experienced international GTAs have indicated several common problem areas that warrant careful attention. These problems and some practical suggestions for dealing with them are discussed below.
Instructional expectations differ widely from country to country.
Formal student-teacher relations may be the norm in some nations, but this relationship is usually not common in the United States. Over the past two decades, a trend toward student-centered curricula, civil rights legislation, and court decisions have fostered an egalitarian ideal among youth in the United States. In some departments, teaching assistants are addressed by their first name. Conversely, a teacher's reserve and formality in interpersonal relations is often perceived as either an expression of condescension toward students or as a lack of self-confidence. Most UGA students consider themselves to be in an educational partnership with their teachers, and partners in a common enterprise are expected to be open and honest in their dealings with each other.