My Life at Renda

I learned veryquickly that being a teaching assistant(TA)at the University of Iowawould be different from a teacher at Renmin University.______(46)Eyesstaring,mouths

open, studentsexamining my big nose,hands nervous,people whispering while I wrote my name onthe blackboard.

At Iowa,when myfirst classes began,half my students still hadn't arrived.When everyone finallyfound a seat,ringing cellphones and loud yawns（哈欠）interrupted my

opening remarks.

It is not thatAmerican students were disrespectful.______(47)They were,however,far moreskeptical than the students I had at Renda.The truth is I couldn't fault themfor

their skepti-cism.Undergraduates at large US universities-especially freshmen andsophomores-often have several classes a semester handled by TAs.Insome.cases,the TA

sets the coursecontent.______(48)Most have good intentions,but only a few are as effective asflesh-and-blood pro-fessors.

Every teacher has toconfront obstacles to learning-no matter what the culture.Students who talkduring lectures,students who cheat,students who question the grade they get

for a paper orproject-dealing with these is all part of the job.______(49)

The difference,Ithink,is that in the US I had to swallow more of my pride.______(50) I had aresponsibility to teach them,of course,but I had to do so indirectly-as a guide

who himself had afew things to learn from the students.______(47)

A.Back at Renda,Ihad walked into my first classes feeling like a celebrity.

B.In my students'minds,I had little to offer them,except perhaps some sample questions for themid-term exam.

C.In others,the TAworks as a grader and discussion leader.

D.I encounteredthese in China,and I facedthem in the US.

E.On the otherhand,being taught by a graduate student is not necessarily bad.