Guiding Principles

My personal Path to Teaching: After conducting several writing workshops as an undergraduate, (looking to engage in volunteer work) and then later as a graduate student at local area domestic violence shelters, I learned that the process of teaching, encouraging and supporting at-risk persons with little genuine self esteem, provided me with a great deal of personal fulfillment and happiness. My initial desire to become a parole officer was eventually abandoned, when I realized I had more to offer through teaching at-risk persons, such as women in DV shelters and also ideally, incarcerated offenders of both genders. I believe that all persons have a right, (grounded in their human need to pursue happiness and enlightenment) to experience the uplifting and positive sense of personal accomplishment that comes from involvement in higher education. Furthermore, I believe higher education ought to be accessible to all people and not only those with higher socio-economic status, (SES) but should also be readily accessible to those from lessor backgrounds and/or circumstances. 

The PACE Program: I have become inspired from learning about the various learning styles that have been examined in the PACE graduate program. There are a diverse number of learning theories and educational philosophies that I have been exposed to while immersed in the PACE graduate program. These dynamics have informed my principles and overall understanding of adult learning, retention and success. The learning theories and dynamics I've studied have also informed my understanding of what assists in the learning process, with regard to different communication styles and the valid role that emotional intelligence plays on the part of the instructor. Being able to perceive hidden stressors, (nonverbal cues) that a student may be experiencing but not addressing directly, due to gender issues, or international student status is an extremely important obligation for the instructor, who is also the classroom guide. I have examined, in several classes in this program, the various social and cultural road-blocks to success and how those issues can be addressed and overcome with intervention and 'gentle personalism' on the part of the instructor.

Active Involvement in PACE: In the two years I have been actively involved in this program, I've noticed, due to the class selection and advising that I've received, that my knowledge of learning styles, personality traits, and communication styles has been strengthened and deepened through group discussions, challenging academic readings and the papers I've written exploring these topics. My beliefs and values regarding what constitutes good instruction and the manner that one can demonstrate a perceptive and intuitive teaching method, has become more cohesive and intuitive because of my involvement in the PACE program. My approach to pedagogy has become more focused and more in line with what I personally consider important to the learning process of both American and international students. 

Participation and Involved Engagement are Required for Learning: The primary ambition of the educational process is to create a perpetual curiosity within the mind of the student, coupled with experiencing the simple pleasure of learning. The utilitarian purpose of education rest entirely within the agency and will of the individual student. What he or she may do to promote future employment at a later date ought not be a consideration or prerequisite to the act of receiving an education. The value of education for its own sake or for personal fulfillment is a value I consider priceless, misunderstood and often generally devalued. The educational process does not place judgement on these singular considerations however, they are dealt with exclusively by the learner. While immersed, the student should not be regarded as a mere vessel used to contain the information, knowledge or perceptions of the instructor or institution they are a part of, but rather they ought to be taught how to reason for themselves—how to engage in critical thinking, in which they may arrive at their own conclusions and values and learn the necessary task of problem solving. When students are encouraged to think for themselves and to problem solve, their self confidence grows in their own innate ability and self-efficacy naturally follows that process. Their leadership skills grow and develop exponentially as well and they begin to learn to be effective and fair leaders in a complex and demanding world. 

The Importance of Creating Safe Spaces for learning: The importance of creating safe spaces for learning cannot be underestimated in any learning institution, particularly when there is a diverse learning population present. The learning environment ought to be one in which all students feel the freedom and overall ease to ask instructors what might be considered naïve or unusual questions, or to even share experiences that might be considered unusual or out of the ordinary. At the core of this exchange is the essence of truthfulness and honest exchange can sometimes become uncomfortable. Moreover, the fear of personal attack of any kind, should never be present or allowed in any junior college, university setting, or other learning environment. Silencing another individual's creative expression can lead to resentment, depression, despair and ultimately the "cooling out" of academic failure and disengagement. Creating safe spaces for learning involves creating easily understood social and conduct perimeters in a classroom setting, for appropriate behavior and insisting, as the instructor, that those standards be observed by all participants. Group discussion does not involve personal attacks, based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion or political affiliation and abusive behavior should never be allowed or tolerated by the instructor or the accompanying institution under any circumstances. 

Freedom to Express Diverse Perceptions: The flip-side to creating safe spaces for learning is that occasionally learners may feel censored if they express something which could be construed as negative or unflattering about a particular minority group. Sometimes people are victimized through violence, predatory social behavior or even accidents by negligence, and victimization can occur from within any subculture in our society; this includes minority groups of all kinds. Learning cannot occur without challenge to perspectives, values and belief systems. This is the dynamic that gets discourse moving and creates fluid, genuine exchanges. But challenging different perspectives can be approached respectfully and with consideration for other's feelings, or intellectual or political leanings, while at the same time tackling delicate or even controversial subject matter. Students should never feel they are being silenced or censored because they might “offend” someone else by expressing honest, forthright opinions or experiences that may not be in agreement with the dominant belief systems. However, all student learners have the obligation to never attack another person because their perspectives, values or beliefs differ from their classmate in some manner. Creating and maintaining safe space's for learning is imperative and a difficult balance to achieve but one in which the process of learning can be made far richer to both instructor and student learner alike when these considerations are taken seriously. 

Continuous Professional Development: For me, I value the concepts and practice of continuously attempting to develop and improve the manner that my pedagogy and curriculum is created and used for the benefits of learners, who depend on me to be their guide for learning. I am committed to using technology that will assist me in evaluation, such as CAT's, (classroom assessment techniques) and other forms of research that will help me learn the nuances of my teaching methods, personal approach to pedagogy, how those methods are successful and in just what ways my pedagogy must change, morph and improve with the passage of time. 

Statement of Commitment: I am committed to using all my internal resources to kindly, appropriately and encouragingly instruct students to express themselves in whatever manner they feel most comfortable, within the creative writing curriculum and class plans I have put together for these purposes. I will use my life experience, EI, feedback from colleagues in my working community, my intuition, and all manner of current research, data, and reviewed journal articles to enhance and improve my teaching methods, curriculum and my approach to traditional and modern aspects of pedagogy. I will observe various learning styles, formal and informal, along with direct and indirect modes of communication, (of both American and international students) all in an effort to provide the equitable and fair distribution of my time and energy to help those seeking adult education, continuous lifelong learning and the often rewarding self-efficacy that follows those exciting and non-static human dynamics.