Comm in Ten: What a Teaching Assistant Actually Does

Most students don't really know what a graduate teaching assistant is until they have one. Aly Holmberg has been on both sides of that desk. In this episode she walks us through what it means to be a GTA: the prep, the mentorship, the small daily acts of communication that turn a syllabus into a real class. We talk about teaching as a discipline you learn the same way you learn anything else. By paying attention. By being honest about what isn't working. By getting better, semester by semester. Aly came to UNO from Long Beach State in California, with a speech and platform background and a coach who nudged her toward the Midwest. She's candid about the imposter syndrome that hits every time you face a new class, and how teaching went from terrifying to second nature by getting the reps in, until she knew how to bring her own persona into the room. She teaches public speaking and now intro to journalism and media, and she breaks down why knowing your why matters before you commit. We also talk about the support graduate students need to do this work well, and why investing in GTAs is investing in undergraduate education itself. Watch on YouTube, listen wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to Comm in Ten. Once a Maverick, always a Maverick. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UNOSchoolofComm Listen anywhere: https://mavradio.fm/podcasts From the UNO School of Communication: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-communication-fine-arts-and-media/communication/index.php