This year, we began a pilot program in which some of our workshops were lead by former Math X students such as yourself. Next year, all of the workshops will be lead by peer leaders who have taken Math X before. We are writing to invite you to apply to be a peer leader.
If you become a peer leader, your primary responsibility will be to guide a group of 6 to 8 students toward active engagement with a weekly workshop. Although you will need to be able to deal with questions about the workshop problems, you will not be expected to be an "authority" on calculus. Rather, you will be an experienced student who has done well in the course and who is now trying to help others to do well also. Each workshop session will last one and a half hours, and the course head will provide you with the problems for the workshop. You will be able to set a time for your workshop that fits with your schedule.
As part of this program, you will also need to participate in two hours of training each week, as well as an additional afternoon of training at the beginning of the semester. This training will help you to become an effective workshop leader. During the weekly training sessions, a member of the course staff will be leading you and your fellow peer leaders through the next week's workshop so that you will be prepared to lead your students through the material.
What is the compensation for all of this? As you take an active roll in helping others to learn, you'll grow both as a leader and as a student; you may be surprised by how your own understanding of calculus changes and deepens. Students at other universities have found that their experiences as peer leaders were among the most impressive items on their resumes as they applied for jobs and advanced degree programs. We will also be offering some monetary compensation --- approximately $490 per semester.
If you are interested in becoming a peer leader, please fill out an application form, which you can find on the website under "Peer Leader Position." Stop by room 435 to drop off your application form and talk to Bret Benesh or Angela Vierling-Claassen so that we can answer any questions you have about the position. We'd like to get an application from you by May 5th if you are interested in the position. You don't have to make a commitment to the position until the fall, so please apply if you think you might be interested.