This page last updated November 24, 2019.
My teaching career began unexpectedly in 2004, when I became TAMU-CC's first supplemental instructor in philosophy, linked to a large professional ethics course taught by my mentor, Dr. Don Berkich. After finishing my B.A. in 2006, I taught freshman English and yearbook at a local high school before being admitted in 2007 to the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. While completing my Master's and doctoral degrees, I taught or co-taught undergraduate reporting classes for several consecutive semesters, first as a teaching assistant, then as an assistant instructor. After graduating from UT-Austin in December 2015, I briefly served as the publications adviser for a Central Texas high school. Life came full circle in Fall 2018, when I returned to my hometown and the TAMU-CC campus as an adjunct faculty member.
In Fall 2019, TAMU-CC's University College hired me full-time as a Professional Assistant Professor within the First-Year Learning Communities Program. Currently I teach first-year seminar, as well as adjunct for the Department of Communication & Media. I am expected to teach the University Studies capstone course (UNVS 4350) in Fall 2020.
As a critical media researcher with unusually broad interests in the humanities and social sciences, I believe that postsecondary education should help prepare students to understand how communicative activity, technological systems, social transformation, and the distribution of power within society all interrelate. Students benefit from learning experiences centered on people, the problems they face, and how to address these issues. I try to connect course material to major social and political themes that touch my students' lives, hopefully in ways they might not have considered.
We all possess different kinds of intelligence, differ in how we think and imagine, and come from different walks of life. For this reason, I try to meet students where they are at in life, for instance, by creating flexible course assignments to accomodate diverse talents and interests. I weight course grades and scaffold assignments in ways that possibly help at-risk, working class, and nontraditional students, e.g., by spreading out major grades over the course of the semester, so that even if students struggle initially, they are still afforded opportunities to succeed.
I believe coursework should be student-driven and student-centered, not defined by narrow parameters set by an all-knowing, expert instructor. I have moved away from top-down, "sage on the stage" lecture-based instructional strategies, towards "guide on the side," collaborative learning environments in which students drive discussion and play a more active role in setting the tone for a course. I paint major assignments with broad strokes, allowing students to fill in the gaps according to individualized interests and expectations.
I find it regrettable and alienating that, all too often, teachers and students are virtual strangers to one another. I encourage students to take risks and explore terrain outside of their comfort zones, and not to dwell too long on whether the end result will earn high marks. My favorite moments as a teacher occur when students surprise me with unexpected, original creations. I often discover that risk-takers submit the most innovative, intriguing work.
I believe people have an instinct for freedom, are naturally curious about their environments, and wish to express themselves creatively. I especially enjoy process-based projects that require students to creatively solve problems on their own or in groups, such as collaborative integrated assignments and media projects that entail planning, recording, and editing photos, video, or other media.
I believe teachers should place faith in their students, and encourage them to take ownership of their work. I try to concede authority as a teacher, rather than accrue more of it, so that students become more active, responsible, accountable participants rather than passive learners. I value real-world import and promote forward-thinking coursework that students can build on from year to year. For example, I often require students to create and curate online portfolios. Besides training students in web design and writing for an online audience, these portfolios allow students to track their improvement over time, as well as present their work to prospective employers and clients.