Despite all the laborious essays and demanding prelims that I have trudged through during my time at Cornell, my mastery of the concepts tested was never more challenged than when I found myself in the position of teaching them. Two years ago, as a wide-eyed first-year student, I would never have expected pedagogy to become so central to my college experience. Of course, teaching is the foundation of any university: seasoned faculty provide mentorship to countless undergraduates in a variety of fields. To me, however, what feels truly distinctive is that students are also entrusted with teaching responsibilities — assisting with discussions, grading and office hours in ubiquitous introductory courses.
At the beginning of my sophomore year, I found myself teaching for the first time, as I prepared to run study halls for PHYS 1116, an honors introductory mechanics course, while also holding French conversation hours. Now, almost a year later, and teaching in a different department, I have accrued a new perspective on what it really means to be an effective instructor. Though I do not possess the extensive experience of the professors who frequent this paper, the role of the “student-educator” offers a rare view of both sides of Cornell’s academic community.
On the one hand, students can become frustrated with frequent graded assessments and arbitrary policies, while teachers may wrangle with unmotivated students required to meet certain distribution requirements. Even these examples only represent a fraction of the dissonance that could occur between the two parties. Considering the almost twenty-plus years that separate the two lived experiences of being a pupil and a professor, it can be difficult to find an appropriate bridge between the needs of both groups. This is further compounded by Cornell’s dynamic nature: each semester brings new professors, teaching styles and course formats, muddying the waters on what it really means to receive a “modern” university-level education.
In this sense, my position at the line of both student and teacher helps to reconcile these differences, stabilizing Cornell’s dynamism. Undergraduates already recognize this. Many seek study tips from peers who have already taken a course, valuing not just their subject knowledge but also their insight into the testing process. This extends beyond teaching assistants to upperclassmen, friends and acquaintances, or even Sidechat, all of whom play the role of the informal educator. In every possible sense, the interplay between learning and teaching is constant for all members of the Cornell community, although difficult to single out.
Ultimately, the temporary nature of every student’s time at Cornell ensures that the influx of novel ideas is constant, rendering the advancement of education the norm. Throughout our four years, we are told countless times of Ezra Cornell’s founding tenet, “any person, any study,” as every new, bright undergraduate, graduate student and faculty member is turned loose onto their individual paths of discovery.
This seminal statement, however, can obscure the reality of our common Cornell experience; after all, we are – literally from the Latin “universitas” – a community turned into one, partaking together in the free exchange and debate of ideas. Thus, this column’s raison d’être is a reflection of the inexperienced teacher, opining on the progress of education as both mentor and mentee.
Ayman Abou-Alfa '27 is an Opinion Columnist and a Physics student & College Scholar in the College of Arts & Sciences. His fortnightly column Mind & Matter delves into the intersection of culture, science and education at Cornell University. He can be reached at aaboualfa@cornellsun.com.
