These first two weeks of school have been jam-packed every single day. Not that I’m complaining, I love being busy. However, I have realized that I have had to take charge of not only my responsibilities, but of holding others accountable for their own as well. Since I am a senior on the field, it makes sense that I am tasked with helping all of the younger girls do what they need to do and act the way they need to act. What I didn’t expect, was the charge I would have to take in the classroom. If you have been keeping up with my columns (or my mom’s Facebook), you know that I am teaching a lab since I am a graduate student and have the experience to help out on the other side of the desk. With this new endeavor, I have had to plan several meetings with not only my TA, but also the professor and his TAs in order to share my experience with the class when I took it. I have also been delegating responsibilities to all of the TAs.
I probably don’t have to be doing as much as I am in terms of helping the other TAs and leading the classroom prep, but I want all of us to be prepared ahead of time so that once the class comes everything goes smoothly. That being said, while all of these responsibilities are a lot to handle, I would much rather take charge and get everything done ahead of time in order to be successful, than fall back and scramble or be unprepared to lead the class. This scenario brings to mind the old saying, “do it right or don’t do it at all,” and I live by that. Doing things right might take a little more effort, but it will be worth it in the end. Don’t be afraid to take on the challenges that come with taking charge. The results will be worth it.