Welcome to The Graduate Students’ Den. Today, we are discussing something many Graduate Teaching Associates experience but may not always feel comfortable talking about: incivility in the classroom.

We will consider what incivility actually looks like, whether teaching this generation requires a different approach, and how GTAs manage authority while still occupying relatively junior positions within the university.

Our goal is not to complain about students or characterize an entire generation negatively. Instead, we want to have an honest conversation about changing classroom expectations, power, respect, and what instructors and institutions can do to create productive learning environments.