I just got back from TAing A&P lab. It was my job today to teach and quiz people over the structure of the eye. I thought I would get sick of it fast but the students caught on with surprising adeptness. I say surprising not because they aren't smart but because it was like pulling teeth to get them to learn the bones of the skull.
Most of lab consited of me pointing and repeating over and over "superior rectus, sclera, retina, anterior chamber filled with aqueous humor..." and so on and so forth. Soon they started chanting along with me. I have to admit, it really did boost my self-esteem to have 7 people at a time standing around me, following my lead in such a loud manner, and actually learning something at the end of everything!
You know what is cool about being a TA? You get to learn a whole bunch of stuff all over again that you have totally forgotten . I was sitting in the lab chair when the head TA said announced to the class "Larissa will be teaching you all the structures of the eye and then quizing you over them. I haven't told her yet, (looks at me) but she will be back there with the eye model". I smiled "sure" and then desperately grabbed a nearby book to refresh my memory on eye parts. It was quite humbling to be back with the tumbling eye model with my first 2 pupils, looking through their book with them and pretending like I was just looking at it for some other reason than trying to figure out what that black squiggly shape was. But by the end of the evening, I could have named those structure blinfolded. I doubt I will ever forget them again! (knock on wood)
I need to go to sleep, I have been at the computer too long and my eyes hurt. I think my choroid must be kinked.
You said something about your first two pupils; I thought a person only has two pupils for life. I mean, I don't know as much about the eye as you do, I'm sure, but that's what I've always heard.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly we retain 95% of what we teach but only 10% of what we read. Just an interesting factoid for you.
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