As a fourth-year student in her last semester, I’ve taken thirty-five classes at Tech, most of which have had teaching assistants for the course. I’ve come to realize that while anyone can be a good TA, very few people can be excellent TAs. Max Poff is undoubtedly the latter.
Math has always been my worst subject. I find the concepts difficult to grasp and often unintuitive; I’ve no facility for thinking within limits or graphing derivatives. So when my advisor told me that MATH 1553—a class infamous for its abstract theories and low exam averages—was required for my degree, I had no choice but to register for the course feeling incredibly dejected and extremely unprepared.
Those feelings didn’t last long, thanks to being in section C4 with Max Poff as the TA. My first impression of Max was how excited he was to be teaching linear algebra on a Friday morning. He was READY to talk about vectors, combinations, and spans. I think TAs often forget that enthusiasm is contagious; because Max had such a great attitude from day one, our section naturally mirrored the optimistic energy he put out. You could really see it in our section attendance—everyone in C4 showed up to recitation because Max showed up for us.
C4 didn’t just have great attendance; we also had higher quiz and exam averages compared to other sections thanks to Max’s phenomenal teaching skills. Max is undeniably gifted in teaching. He was able to simplify even the most complex ideas into comprehensible notions. Concepts that hadn’t clicked in lecture came together when Max explained them. For the first time in my life, math was being taught in a way that made sense. Two years later, I can still explain orthogonality and other pillars of linear algebra, something I could not do for any other math class I’ve taken. This retention of knowledge is all due to how effectively Max taught the material.
What really set Max apart, though, was his investment in his students. It is surprisingly difficult to come by TAs who genuinely care about their students. But with Max, I saw it in his every action. He made it a point to remember every name and face in C4. This alone was impressive, as most TAs simply know the names of students who regularly visit them during office hours. But Max was intentional in connecting with us and making us feel seen and welcome. Another characteristic unique to Max was that he would hold office hours not once, but twice—sometimes thrice!—a week, to make sure any student who wanted help was able to receive it. I’ve never seen a Georgia Tech student so selfless with his time. Max also hosted review sessions (something that is neither required nor expected from TAs) before each 1553 exam to ensure that we were as prepared as possible. As the semester progressed, these review sessions progressively became larger and larger as students from other sections heard about their effectiveness. Despite the overwhelming turnout, Max was always patient and thorough, making sure no question went unanswered.
Max’s enthusiasm for linear algebra, giftedness in teaching, and investment in his students were tangible from the start, and as the semester went on, I saw more and more ways he continually went above and beyond. He was the best TA I’ve across all my classes at Tech. I cannot speak highly enough of Max’s abilities.
