For the over 200 students enrolled in Amanda Patterson's section 4 Geology class, the course has certainly failed to live up to its rumored "easiest class on campus" reputation. With the class average being a high C and the lab averages even lower, some may go as far to say it's one of the harder classes they take. However, one teaching assistant has become a lifeline to those struggling with the workload. Shuang Cao, 23, is a graduate student majoring in geologic engineering. She moved from China to the United States this year to fulfill her graduate teaching assistance work. " I always wanted to visit America. It just seemed perfect that I could finish my teaching asssistance work here so I took it" said a smiling Shuang Cao. "I love it here. Ole Miss is so nice. I'm still struggling with English so I apologize if I mispronounce something. I thought the students may have the same trouble with my name so I've encouraged them to just call me 'Cindy'. My Chinese name is hard to pronounce."
Her lab, which meets Wednesdays at 4, is always filled with students bombarding her with questions on their lab work to which she always assists with a smile. "She's a lifesaver," says Matt Mueller, a student of hers, "I seriously couldn't get any of this without her walking me through it."
When asked what advice she would give to other teachers to help them educate their students, she laughs and humbly replies, "I've only been teaching this material 6 weeks. I'm only a teaching assistant. I think I need some good advice from them!" Her students would politely disagree.
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