Instructor of Record:
SPEA-V246 Elements of Government and Nonprofit Financial Accounting Cycle: Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Fall 2026
SPEA-V346 Introduction to Government Accounting and Financial Reporting: Fall 2025 (2 sections)
Guest Lecturer:
SPEA-V246 Elements of Government and Nonprofit Financial Accounting Cycle: Implied Time Restrictions (Spring 2024)
Teaching Philosophy Statement
As a Public Affairs and Public Budgeting and Finance PhD candidate, I have developed a passion for educating the next generation of scholars and practitioners in governmental and nonprofit budgeting, finance, and accounting. I am commitment to student-centered learning for all types of learners regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, class, or abilities. My teaching philosophy focuses on a commitment to lectures, activities, and assignments that have applications for every students’ future careers. In every classroom, I strive to create an environment where students actively engage with course material before the class, collaborate with peers through activities such as think-pair-share, and emerge with both theoretical understanding and practical skills essential for navigating the complexities of public financial management. I want my students to be able to come away from my classroom transformed and ready to apply their knowledge to other classes and more importantly to their first and all future jobs.
Central to my teaching philosophy is the recognition that effective learning is more than just lecturing for an entire class. It requires active student participation and meaningful carrer application. Drawing from my experiences as an accountant for a city, county, and school district, I have found that incorporating examples from outside of the classroom serves as a catalyst for comprehension, bridging the gap between theory and practice. Moreover, I firmly believe in leveraging visual aids, such as flowcharts, and showing the mental steps of using them. I believe that these improve students' understanding of complex concepts such as donor implied time restrictions. Additionally, this is particularly relevant in the domain of accounting.
Integration lies at the heart of my instructional approach. Lectures are specifically crafted to blend with activities and assignments, ensuring that theoretical concepts are followed by practical application. Clarity is paramount, especially when teaching technical subject matter. I make it a priority to scaffold my class by turning complex assignments into small components, employing various pedagogical techniques and respecting the diverse learning styles in my classroom.
In-class activities serve as invaluable tools for fostering active learning and enhancing retention. While I have implemented strategies such as think-pair-share, I am committed to exploring and incorporating all interactive methodologies to cater to the needs of my students. Moreover, I firmly believe in the transformative power of collaborative assignments. Students should not only learn from me but also from each other, mimicking the world outside of the classroom. Working with others is going to be a critical component to their future careers, and the classroom should be not only a place to learn and practice relevant content, but it should also be a place to learn and practice professional interactions.
Seeking a PhD shows a commitment to lifelong learning. I hope to continually evolve and implement new pedagogical best practices as well as respond to student feedback. I am committed to creating a classroom environment characterized by intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, mutual respect for all regardless of who they are, and practical application. By empowering students to become active participants in their own learning journey, I aim to equip them with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the ever-evolving landscape of public financial management.
In conclusion, my teaching philosophy is rooted in the principles of student-centered learning, integration, clarity, and active engagement. As I embark on my journey as an educator, I am deeply committed to future generations of forward-thinking professionals who respect peers, focus on equality in the public they will serve, and have the skills to effect positive change in the realm of governmental budgeting, finance, and accounting and beyond.