Introduction In the fall of 2022, I got to TA a course called Phylogenetics and the Fossil Record, taught by my PhD advisor, Graham Slater. Although I TA’ed almost every single quarter during my time at the University of Chicago, this particular experience was pretty unique, for a number of reasons. First, it was a mixed undergraduate/graduate course, whereas all the other courses I TA’ed were offered exclusively to undergrads, and often specifically to non-science majors.