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Tea and Teaching: A Fall Semester Series for Graduate TAs

Posted on July 24, 2025

As a TA you play many roles and wear many hats, and therefore making your TA duties more efficient is vital.

Graduate teaching assistants congregate in a giant teacup to connect and network with their peers

This fall, we’re offering monthly meetings for graduate students to connect with peers, sip warm beverages, and discuss key aspects of teaching and life as a graduate teaching assistant (TA). Conversation topics will include navigating teaching at UIC, fostering student engagement and inclusion, supporting your own well-being as a student and instructor, and professional development. Meetings will occur monthly in the Teaching Excellence Building room 201. All UIC graduate students and teaching assistants are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be provided at the session. Read on to learn more about each month’s event:

Navigating your Graduate Teaching Assistant Experience at UIC

Every semester brings its own challenges and positive experiences. This first gathering will be an open forum to discuss all things TA at UIC. We may discuss how to navigate the first two weeks of teaching as well as hold space for navigating difficult conversations with our students. New and experienced TAs are welcome to join in on conversations that you may need further guidance on!

The Politics of Care

Being an effective instructor starts with compassion for yourself. Prioritize your well-being at this event; we will offer practical self-care strategies, tools to navigate the challenges of graduate life, and resources to support mental health and resilience. Join us to engage in conversation with other UIC TAs about how to care for yourself and your students in these turbulent times.

Scaffolding Success: Strategies for Student Engagement

In this session, we will explore strategies for scaffolding class activities, facilitating group work, and strategies for creating an inclusive classroom. By the end of the session, you’ll have your own toolkit of strategies to keep students engaged, feel welcome in your classroom, and look forward to collaborating with others.

Professional Development: How Graduate Students Can Leverage Their Teaching Experience

Your teaching experience can be a valuable asset for your academic and professional career, wherever your path takes you. Learn how to document your teaching accomplishments and communicate your experience to align to the job you are pursuing.  We’ll discuss professional development opportunities and hear from a panel of people from different instructional backgrounds and roles in higher education.

Have questions about this event series? Please reach out to Emily Potratz (epotra2@uic.edu), Postdoctoral Research Associate and Visiting Lecturer.

Modified on December 01, 2025