Yes, you WILL be nervous - the important thing to remember is that no one really cares if you make mistakes. Mechanics is lots of fun to TA in my opinion - things are intuitive. I've TA'd a mechanics course three times before, and doing it two more times this semester. Tell them you will get back to the, and then do just that once you have discussed it with the lecturer or simply thougt about it properly. If you have to tell a student that you cannot answer their question on the spot, do not feel bad about it. However, I do not think a good teacher is made by extensive infallible subject knowledge. Students will notice a few main things which are important to convey: Interest in the subject, taking an interest in students learning, and yes to some extent being prepared. I think in the end, preparations do pay off but perhaps you do not need to be as crazy with preparations as i was. Again, I spent a good deal of time on thinking about how to handle the material. The same kind of nervousness came back the first time I was going to lecture a course. Still I was very nervous when I started the TA sessions but it turned out very well. In retrospect, I was definitely overdoing it, but I think it helped me to feel more secure. The first course I was a TA in was a relativity course and I spent the better part of a month reviewing the material and doing all of the problems in the course compendium although I had achieved the best mark in the very same course just two years prior. I have never TAd a lab course, but I can share my teaching experience and in particular the first times.
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