Becoming TA - How I made it last minute!

Pulling into the parking lot of my high school, I had one clear goal, one item on the to-do list: convince the new computer science teacherto let me be the TA of the A.P. Computer Science Principles.

Signing into the office, I was directed to the classroom and introduced myself to the teacher. The reaction and reciprocation will vary from teacher to teacher- in my case, he recognized the Girls Who Code shirt I was wearing and we hit it off.

This is the process broken down into steps:

I approached him, and asked “May I have a minute of your time?”

He agreed, and I stated my name, and my credentials. “My name is Priya Harry, I took AP Computer Science last year.”

And quickly stated what I wanted from him. “I would like to TA for this period, and aid the students in what they need.”

He asked me more about the Girls Who Code background, and suggested I take the higher level AP Computer Science, and agreed to “sign whatever you need.” I thanked him, and let the office quickly know.

But Why am I telling this story?

There is a valuable lesson you can draw from this short, but vital interaction: how to get what you need from someone.

Clearly state your name, credentials, and what you would like. Dressing for the occasion also aided me in this case, by physically demonstrating my interest in this field (a Girls Who Code shirt). By coincidence, the teacher stated he is well acquainted with them.

So next time you need to approach someone professionally for a request, consider taking this approach.