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Coach in
the Corner
Frustrated by the lack of feedback from her TA, Elle reaches out to her UC, Mariko, and they decide to meet up at Tim Hornton's to discuss what to do.
Friday
Week 2
Elle slammed the door, dropped
her teaching bag, and burst into tears. Her TA barely paid attention to her.
After twenty minutes of angry cleaning, she felt calm enough to text her UC. Mariko had always encouraged her students to reach out when they needed support.
"If I'm doing a terrible job, just tell me," she said to her empty apartment. "Don't just keep it to yourself!"
After a few messages back and forth, Mariko replied:
Would you like to meet sometimes tomorrow?
Saturday
Week 2
At Tim Horton's, Mariko stirred honey into her tea while Elle vented.
"I don't know if i'm doing a good job or not," Elle said. "Adrian never gives me feedback. If i need to improve, i just want him to tell me how."
Mariko gently redirected her.
"We're not here to judge him,"
she said. "We're simply identifying what's missing and figure out how to make it happen.
Elle admitted she had already stared drafted an email to Adrian outlining the support she needed.
Together they reviewed it, making edits and redefining the tone.
"Take a deep breath," Mariko encouraged. "Step back from the frustration and look at the situation clearly."
By the time the tea was gone and the coffee had gone cold, the email was ready to send.
Adrian didn't acknowledge the email.
All weekend, Elle had checked her inbox, growing more anxious with every hour
that passed. Maybe she had overstepped.
Now the studens had gone home,
and Adrian was packing up to leave.
He hadn't mentioned the email once.
Ellie considered asking Mariko to
intervene.
"You're such a strong student teacher that I didn't think you needed the same kind of support I've given to my previous students. I didn't realize you were feeling insecure about your teaching."
He passed her the pages as he walked to the door. "Here's some feedback, if you have questions, we can talk about them tomorrow."
Monday
Week 3
"You're such a strong student teacher that I didn't think you needed the same kind of support I've given to my previous students. I didn't realize you were feeling insecure about your teaching."
He passed her the pages as he walked to the door. "Here's some feedback, if you have questions, we can talk about them tomorrow."
Adrian didn't acknowledge the email.
All weekend, Elle had checked her inbox, growing more anxious with every hour that passed. Maybe she had overstepped.
Now the studens had gone home,
and Adrian was packing up to leave.
He hadn't mentioned the email once.
Ellie considered asking Mariko
to intervene.
Monday
Week 3
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