From MIT Technology Review · · 1m
A TA's encouragement changed everything
A chemistry professor recalls how one teaching assistant's kindness after a failing grade set him on the path to success.
In brief
A chemistry professor recalls how one teaching assistant's kindness after a failing grade set him on the path to success. A teaching assistant's encouragement after a student's poor first exam at MIT led to dramatic improvement and shaped his entire academic career. Originally reported by MIT Technology Review.
A crushing first exam
In fall nineteen eighty, the author scored forty-nine out of one hundred on his first quiz in three point zero nine one, Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry, at MIT. The experience was soul-crushing.
“getting 49 out of 100 was a soul-crushing experience”
A TA's encouraging words
Teaching assistant Leszek Pawlowicz, PhD eighty-seven, returned the paper with a smile and said, "I expect to see you double your score on the next quiz." The message motivated the student to study harder.
“I expect to see you double your score on the next quiz”
From failure to grad school
The author scored one hundred on the next quiz and graduated with grades strong enough for graduate school. Years later, he reconnected with Pawlowicz to thank him for the lasting impact of his encouragement.
“A good TA can really have lasting impact”
What to remember
A teaching assistant's encouragement after a student's poor first exam at MIT led to dramatic improvement and shaped his entire academic career.
