As more and more international students came to the United States to further their education, the number of international teaching assistants (ITAs) has grown tremendously since 1980s. Among these ITAs, some have been assigned to teach English composition classes to American students. These ITAs form a unique group, and their experience is the focus of the current study. Four ITAs who were teaching English composition classes at the time when the study was conducted were recruited to participate in the current study. During the course of one semester, each participating ITA was observed once and interviewed twice (before and after the class observation). In order to understand the perspectives of ITAs' students, a student survey was administrated on the last day of classes. Even though only four ITAs and their students in English composition classes participated, the results of the current study were inspiring, and important lessons could be learnt. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]