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Thoughts to ponder ...
"Bending over backwards for my students" :)
The greatest privilege that teaching affords me is to see students gradually realize their potential throughout the semesters, to discover the excitement in their career choice and to finally graduate. Critical thinking is of utmost importance to me, as is sustainability, which is a particularly complex topic that reaches into all aspects of life, and travel in particular. It really never yields black-and-white answers. Through my teaching, I encourage students to examine all aspects of a topic and to challenge the status quo in a constructive and respectful manner. Every student is unique in personality, aspirations, academic abilities and cultural background. I myself grew up, studied and worked on two continents. Therefore, I understand how cultural differences affect the individual approach to learning and to plain surviving in a foreign country. Student success is greatly affected by my performance as a teacher, and I strive to create a student-centred learning environment that addresses their individual learning styles, while maintaining fairness, respect and accessibility for all students. I have listed a few examples of my teaching methods under the link "Teaching Practices" in this portfolio. And last but definitely not least, one of my favourite privileges of teaching is the fact that I am also learning from my students!! I get a huge thrill out of discovering what's happening inside their heads, how they look at the world, what's keeping them abuzz, and what's on trend. |
Why I might sound boring ...
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I am an advocate for respect, fairness and transparency. That also means that I enforce policies and deadlines in a reasonable manner, as boring as that sounds (and hey, teaching is not a popularity contest). I ensure that students have easy access to them and know what their rights and obligations are. I encourage them to communicate to me about their progress. I keep checking in on them, to see if they feel overwhelmed, and try to eliminate bottlenecks upstream, before they turn into a full fledged problem.
I also am adamant at upholding Academic Integrity (there is a separate paragraph on that under "Teaching Practices"). My motivation is rooted in the belief that we are all better off if the framework of expectations and privileges is clearly laid out to begin with, and that it allows for a fair and respectful environment where the student is given the tool to perform at their highest level. I do teach what 'academic integrity' means before each assessment, I provide resources for proper citing and references that I have created, I monitor group work as closely as I can, and I encourage them to be okay with submitting work that may not be 'perfect' or 'finished'. If a deadline is looming and your mental health is in serious jeopardy, it is okay to submit something that might only be 80% finished. It's probably very good work. Don't - in the name of being 'perfect' - hustle and accidentally cut and paste content that might get you in the doghouse with academic integrity. Every mark contributes to your progress. A zero does not. Trust that you are awesome, even if your work is not complete. |
Thoughts on communication and feedback ...
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I may sound like a really really old person here (which I am, depending on the eye of the beholder), but in our day and age where communication is electronic and abbreviated to fit into a 280-character window (or attention span?), I find it particularly important to foster communication. Small informal chats during break time work wonders, but don't always allow for individual feedback on a student's learning progress. Therefore, I provide each student with written personal feedback after each major test and assignment. This allows me to open the conversation with those who normally do not seek contact with the teacher or their peers. The responses allow me to understand a student a lot better, and conversely, take his or her hesitation away to approach me when challenges in their learning arise. While this method has worked very well for me, it does not always get every single student involved ... and herein lies the challenge that I am committed to.
Convocation - hands down! The day when the air is filled with a sense of accomplishment, and disbelief that yes - we did it! Second in line is the first Tuesday in September - back to school day!! The whole college is abuzz with as many people as you can possibly see on campus all at once. Everybody looks relaxed, with a bit of a tan, and full of excitement and anticipation of what the new school year might bring.
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Eiffel Tower (AFC 2018)