I'm not a perfect educator. When I was little, my dad told me that he wasn't the smartest, but he worked really, really hard. He ended up doing really well in life, including being the valedictorian of his high school. I think he was natively bright, but ultimately, his observation is right--it was the work and the caring about it that is more important.
And so, I'm really not a perfect educator--and while I work hard at it, I know there are others who work harder and do better. But I want to give my students an incredible experience. I think--I hope--they can feel that. And that leads me to try new things, and to innovate.
This section of my portfolio is a set of innovations that I've tried that have worked--things I'm proud of that I would encourage other faculty to test out.