Well, I suppose it is a compliment

I went to the office today without my keys (i.e., the symbol of authority) and one of the campus security guards asked me for my pass. Since I ignored him (well, truth be told, I didn't hear him. I'm almost infamous for my obliviousness while walking around), he turned to his fellow security guard and said, "TA," to which I had to reply, "Teacher." He promptly asked me my age, at which point the other security guard started getting on his case for being too blunt. Later, the second guy apologized to me privately.