Botanicky

Today we celebrated GTA/UTA Appreciation Day on campus. A day dedicated to recognizing the graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants who support students throughout the semester. Boards were placed around campus where students could leave anonymous notes for their favorite TAs. Watching students stop, think, smile, and write something heartfelt was already special. But receiving two notes myself was something I truly didn’t expect. I brought them with me, and right now they are pasted them in front of my working desk, so that I can see it all the time.  They were small. Just a few lines but, incredibly meaningful. As a teaching assistant, you rarely know the full impact you’re having. You prepare, explain concepts, help them with lab activities expecting them to do great in their exams. Seeing those words written by students reminded me that the effort is noticed. Beyond the notes, there were delicious donuts and lots of fun. It was a warm and joyful atmosphere. Our instructor...

It was such an exciting day in lab today! Our teaching lab topic was Angiosperms , which meant one of my favorite activities; flower dissection and fruit identification. 🌸 I’ve taught this lab several times before, and I truly enjoy it every single time. We started by introducing the different components of flowers and reviewing fruit types. Then came the fun part. The students got to dissect the flowers themselves and closely examine sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. There is something special about watching them connect textbook diagrams to real structures in their hands. This time, I tried something new. I sent out a quick sheet asking students to write down their favorite songs, and I played their picks while they worked on their dissections. It turned out to be such a wonderful idea! The atmosphere was relaxed, everyone was more engaged, and the lab felt both focused and joyful. The next part of the lab involved examining different fruits. Many students were shocked (and slig...