Joy Ahn
Hello! My name is Joy Ahn, and I am a creative writing senior working as the pedagogy intern for Dr. Roudane and his American Literature class for the Fall 2024 semester. I write this post after about a month into the position. My responsibilities, outlined by Dr. Schatteman and Dr. Roudane, are to act as a student aid to the professor and the students. I address any questions or concerns that students, for whatever reason, would prefer to ask a fellow undergraduate. To this effect, I hold office hours for those interested, where I can council students on matters that are both course-specific matters and have to do with the English major in general. Aside from this, I am to lead a guest lecture on October 24th about a supplementary reading of my choosing.
Before this internship, I did not have a preemptive interest in teaching, and I have never had any experience of being on the other side of a student-professor interaction. The amount of enjoyment and fulfillment I feel towards the internship and its students has surprised me completely. I look forward to the class more than anything else in my schedule. The students are so passionate, and they try so hard. They’re also so nice. I created and passed out a crash-course guide to the English major during one of my first days, and many students came to me after class to thank me. One student called me “amazing.” I think about it sometimes, and it almost makes me want to cry.
I am determined to do my best for them. I’ve written down their names and desk locations in my notebook, so I can practice memorizing their names. I hope to make them feel remembered, listened to, and prepared in their academic trajectory.
