Welcome back and happy new year! It's the Spring Semester, which means that this Friday, January 4th is the Spring TA/TM Day, and--more importantly--the Spring TA/TM Day Social!
There's no better way to ease yourself back into work-and-school mode, especially as the ostensible "Spring Semester" greets us on Burnaby Mountain with a mix of frozen rain and snow. As usual, there will be a free burger dinner (vegan and gluten-free options available), free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, TSSU swag, and a great opportunity to hang out and meet your colleagues from around the University.
The festivities will begin at 4:30 pm in the Diamond Alumni Centre and will run until 8:00, at which point we will head to Club Ilia (located next to the Cornerstone Starbucks by the bus loop) to finish off the night. All TSSU members are welcome, no RSVP necessary. Even if you can't make it to TA/TM Day, make sure to find your way to the Social!
TA/TM Day and Social - Friday, September 7th
This Friday, September 7th will be the 33rd Annual Fall TA/TM Day at the SFU Burnaby campus. Presented in collaboration with the Teaching & Learning Centre, TA/TM Day is a perfect opportunity to learn more about your TA or TM responsibilities, develop your teaching skills, grab a free lunch, and get a handle on the particularities of teaching at SFU. All TA/TM Day sessions are free to TSSU members, and no registration is required. More importantly, all members are entitled to up to 6 hours of paid professional development time per appointment. So make sure to keep track of those TA/TM Day hours!
TA/TM Day features 22 different workshops for teachers of every experience level and disciplinary background. TSSU is offering two especially important sessions for first-time TAs and TMs in the 10:15 - 11:00 am and 1:45 - 3:00 pm time slots. If you are new to teaching at SFU, don't miss them! Then cap off the day with TSSU's one and only TA/TM Day Social at the Diamond Alumni Centre at 4:30 pm for free dinner, free drinks, prizes, games, and more. After that, we're moving to Club Ilia at 8:00 pm. Come to one or both, get a free meal, and meet your fellow TAs and TMs. All TSSU members are invited, regardless of whether you attend TA/TM Day.
TA/TM Day for Fall 2017 is running on Friday 8th September on Burnaby campus, from 8.15am to 4.30pm.
A wide variety of free workshops are available for Teaching Assistants and Tutor Markers of all levels of experience, with no registration required. Workshops cover multiple aspects of your job, such as leading tutorials, using SFU's Canvas system, understanding what medical benefits are open to you, helping distressed students, and running labs and writing-intensive courses.
You are free to attend as many workshops as you wish. TAs and TMs can also claim this time toward the six contracted hours available for professional development and orientation during every semester in which they have an appointment. If you have attended TA/TM Day before, take the opportunity to benefit from material you may have missed last time.
Following the workshops is the TA/TM Day Social in Halpern Centre, from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. There will be a bar, and free burgers (meat or vegan) and punch. After this, the social continues at Club Ilia, with free appetizers available.
