Becca the TA

“When you are a bear of very little brain, and you think of things, you find sometimes that a thing which seemed very thinkish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.” – Winnie the Pooh

I absolutely adore teaching; I like being able to help make physics more accessible to my students! It’s also the easiest way to figure out what I don’t understand, and motivates me to keep learning.

I’m a bit of a goober when I lecture, mostly because I “fangirl” and get really enthusiastic about the physics and problem-solving strategies that got me interested in this field to begin with. Honestly, though, I’m much more interested in the 1:1 interactions with students that develop enough of a rapport to better relate course material to their individual interests. This approach works for me, though it admittedly takes more effort on my part than just being able to explain concepts clearly to a larger group.

Here’s a link to some relevant student feedback on my teaching: https://www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-events/2021/0513_rebecca_rapp_hugh_young_award.html