This month, our committee members reflect on a challenging situation they have encountered in the classroom. These reflections highlight the realities of teaching as graduate instructors. Each member shares not only the situation they faced, but also the strategies they’ve developed and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Together, these perspectives offer practical insights and an honest look at the complexities of teaching in practice.

Chair: Ashmita Mazumder (she/her), University of Toronto - Scarborough:

One of the more challenging situations I’ve encountered as an instructor is when a student persistently pushes for a higher grade. In one case, a student repeatedly emailed after receiving feedback on an assignment, questioning each deduction and asking for reconsideration. What made it difficult wasn’t just the request itself, but the tone and persistence; it felt less like a conversation and more like pressure to change the grade. In these situations, I start by revisiting the rubric and my original feedback to make sure my grading was fair and clearly aligned with the criteria. When I respond, I avoid getting pulled into back-and-forth point negotiations. Instead, I explain how the work met (or didn’t meet) specific expectations, often pointing directly to the rubric. If needed, I offer to meet and walk through the assignment together, which tends to shift the conversation from confrontation to clarification. At the same time, I’ve learned the importance of setting boundaries. After addressing the concern once or twice in a thorough and respectful way, I make it clear when the conversation has reached its conclusion. This was uncomfortable at first, but it’s helped me avoid getting stuck in long email threads that don’t lead anywhere productive. What I’ve learned is that these situations are often about students wanting to feel heard and treated fairly. My main advice is to rely on your rubric, document your reasoning, and don’t be afraid to set limits on how long the conversation continues.

Associate Chair: Lindsey Rutter (she/her), Oregon State University:

One situation that I have found challenging as a graduate instructor is how students’ shift their expectations of the course once they realize that I am a graduate student. I have noticed that some students will assume that I will be more accommodating, more flexible, and less strict compared to other instructors. While I vale being approachable and supportive, this has led to students attempting to push boundaries with course deadlines, communication, and expectation. Early on in my teaching role, I struggled with enforcing boundaries because it made me feel as though I was not supporting my students well enough. I would frequently make expectations, respond to emails at all hours, and prioritize being available to students even when it came at the expense of my own time. I found myself answering emails constantly, even when I was at the gym or trying to relax after a long day. I quickly learned that this level of constant availability was not sustainable for me.

Over time, I have had to develop strategies with how I set boundaries in a way that allows me to feel as though I am supporting students in a way that aligns with my own teaching philosophy. I have had to learn how to be more consistent with course policies, especially when it comes to deadlines, in order to protect myself and ensure fairness for all of my students. This has helped me a lot with preventing situations where students assume that I will adapt to their needs immediately. Ultimately, I have learned that boundaries can coexist with being a supportive instructor, and that they are necessary for the well-being of myself and my students. 

Josh Lovett (he/him), University of Illinois Chicago:

The most challenging aspect of teaching for me recently has been when students push boundaries in terms of expectations, particularly when they see me as a “nice” instructor. For example, some students may ask for extensions beyond the syllabus policy or ask if certain absences can be “excused.” Recently, I have changed my policy to allow for automatic “grace periods,” where students can submit an assignment within 24 hours of a deadline with no penalty. I also give students a certain number of days they can miss and more clearly explain that all reasons fall under that with no exceptions. That has significantly reduced the number of emails I have gotten asking for extensions and has made my life a lot easier. My advice is to give students some grace but to also have high expectations and firm boundaries with teaching. 

Romeo Penheiro, University of Houston:

One classroom challenge that has stayed with me is the gap between intending to teach something well and realizing that, for students, the explanation did not fully land. As both a graduate student and an instructor of record, I care deeply about the quality of teaching, so feedback that I had not explained a concept clearly enough made me reflect on what strong teaching really requires. I came to see that this can happen for many reasons: sometimes a concept is new for me to teach, sometimes it is especially intricate, and sometimes I underestimate how much scaffolding students need to engage with it confidently. Since then, I have become much more intentional about designing clear learning objectives, placing them directly in the syllabus, and aligning them with course content and grading. That shift has made my teaching more transparent and goal-directed, and it has also shaped how I think as a student. I have realized that I learn best in courses where expectations are explicit and where I can clearly see how activities, assessments, and content connect. For me, high-quality teaching is about creating clarity and structure that help students feel oriented, capable, and engaged in their own learning.

Elizabeth Taylor (she/ her), Virginia Commonwealth University:

One situation that I find challenging as a teaching assistant is when students ask questions for which I don’t know the answer. As a teaching assistant, I feel pressure to always have an answer when students ask questions, even when the questions extend beyond the content we discuss in class. I believe this can be a part of imposter syndrome that many graduate students may face. I have developed two strategies to handle these situations, depending on the context, and both involve admitting that I am unsure while still helping students find answers to their questions. One strategy that I use in this situation is to work with the student to uncover the answer together. We may refer back to course resources, such as the textbook or slides, or delve into the literature to explore what is available on the topic. The second strategy that I utilize is pivoting the question back towards the student and asking what they think about the question or topic that they inquired about. Then, I will suggest that they research this topic or question throughout the week, and that we can discuss what they found after the next class. This also provides me time to research the topic further, so that we can have an insightful and productive conversation. My hope is that this also cultivates interest in the field. Typically, I use the second strategy in situations where there is no clear answer defined in class materials, or the topic or question goes beyond what we cover in class. Overall, my advice is to remember that it is okay and expected not to know everything, and there are a variety of ways to still offer support and direction in helping students find answers. I have found that students do not generally expect us to know everything, and are receptive when I admit that I don’t know something and offer direction towards a solution. This also sets realistic expectations for students, as it highlights that going into their career fields, they do not always have to have all of the answers either.