Teaching Philosophy
I owe my fantastic career path to many mentors that have helped me along the way. With their wisdom and experience, they inspired me, challenged me, and guided me. It is in these three areas that I model my teaching style.
My mentors were pioneers, hippies, entrepreneurs, and industry crusted gurus. They were not just good at their jobs; they tucked me under their wing, clucked their approval, and gently corrected me when I was wrong. But most importantly, they taught me to go for it. I always share real examples from my twenty-five career in marketing with my students in hopes that they are inspired to go for it, too. The beauty of marketing is, it’s never dull.
I encourage lively discussion in the classroom, comparing viewpoints from various positions in business – finance, operations, IT, and merchandising – always with a focus that marketing is the engine of the company. I encourage students to use local businesses for projects, and by doing so they see first-hand how their resources and knowledge can actually help. And that includes ethical and societal considerations as well.
Sometimes a theory-based subject can intimidate students. Marketing isn’t a clear-cut science and there are shades of grey. I try to model my classes as challenges, using short explanations and examples followed by an activity to keep them engaged. In order to mirror the real world of business, team-based learning is essential in every class. Facing challenges as a team generates peer learning and creative problem-solving. Sometimes a new thought is all it takes for something to click into place.
I feel a great teacher asks a lot, but also provides clear-cut direction and expectations while understanding that learning is a personal process with individual needs and circumstances. The best teacher understands and brings out the best in every student. I’m very understanding of setbacks that happen during a course, but in return, I ask for honest communication and maximum effort. I work beside my students every step of the way.
I fell in love with teaching when I saw my student’s creativity and high expectations of the world. Their determination to change the business world for the better is exactly what we need and helping this generation of ethical marketers is all I want to do.
