Teaching
Teaching History
My first experience as an educator came as a replacement middle school math teacher for one semester. I was unprepared for the job and it showed. I could not properly plan lessons nor handle the students. At the end of the year, the school hired someone else for the position. Severely daunted by my lack of preparation, I enrolled in classes at the University of New Orleans, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Secondary Math Education. In 2003, I got hired as a high school math and science teacher at Archbishop Shaw High School, ultimately teaching courses in environmental science, physical science, physics, and calculus, while coaching track and cross country and working as the science department head. At the end of my last year there, the school named me Teacher of the Year, one of my proudest accomplishments. In graduate school, I was the graduate student instructor for two semesters of Elementary Fluid Mechanics and the associated lab. I taught a very similar course along with statics at the University of New Orleans, and now I teach physics in high school.
Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, I want my students to understand the core knowledge of my subject and to be fluent in its unique issues and nomenclature. More importantly, I want my students to think critically on top of their newly-won knowledge, to form deep connections within the material, and to be prepared for an interconnected, global work environment. I want them, in short, to be capable, in every meaning of that word. To reach this goal, my role in the classroom is threefold: 1) use everything at my disposal to reach my students, 2) always keep improving, and 3) never give up on a student.
Use Everything at your Disposal to Reach Your Students
Students come from different backgrounds with varying sets of academic abilities and predispositions, so my teaching approach must be varied and flexible. Both my students and I will need to leave our comfort zones. I use visual aids, lecture, demonstrations, labs (when appropriate), and videos to reach my students. I post all of these materials online, to guide students in class and to help those who could not be physically present. For a typical class, I create open-ended slides with visuals and very little text. I motivate the slides with several videos and/or demonstrations, then guide my students through the material as we discuss each slide. For example, for a class of educators, I once demonstrated the effects of salt on the density of water by adding salt to water until an egg floated. This primed a classroom full of non-scientists for a discussion of buoyancy and, eventually, salt dynamics in an estuary, oil movement in the open ocean, and plate tectonics. At the end of that semester, many in the class told me that was their favorite lesson. During a recent lecture on fluid properties to undergraduate engineers, I demonstrated ways different fluids respond to stress by bringing in toothpaste and oobleck, a slimy substance made from cornstarch and water. While this demo was slightly uncomfortable for students used to reading numbers off graphs and calculating abstract quantities, some will always remember punching a liquid and having it resist like a solid. More frequently, I show short videos illustrating principles we are discussing. Ideally, these videos will cross disciplinary boundaries, i.e. mantis shrimp demonstrating fluid cavitation or the Tacoma Narrows bridge demonstrating vortex shedding. Ultimately, by varying these demos and videos, I keep my students engaged, providing them with context for their learning, regardless of their background or abilities and providing anchors from which to explore further. As my courses evolve, I will continue to add various tools to reach my students wherever they are, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Always Keep Improving
Education is an iterative process, and I must constantly evolve my courses to keep them relevant, in general, and to be ultimately worthy of my students. My first attempt at teaching a new course is always difficult and time-consuming. Usually, I start with materials left behind by a previous instructor. I research, outline, think, and plan. I set high standards for myself and constantly push that standard higher to address more learning styles, provide more hands-on learning, layer on more concepts, and motivate my students. Rarely am I satisfied with a course as it is, and I revise it each semester I teach it. I add to it, adjust it. I save the good and toss the bad. I take the feedback I receive (from students, parents, or colleagues) seriously. For example, when a student said my handwriting was messy, I worked on my handwriting. When a student mentioned that I seemed disorganized, I created PowerPoint presentations that display my organization and keep the class on track. I remember the positive feedback, too, and make a point to continue elements that work for my students. When I taught environmental science to eighth graders, I organized a canoe trip to show them a degraded marsh. A parent told me that her son was really amazed by the landscape change on either side of a structure designed to stop saltwater and how he could see the things I had shown them in class. I made a mental note to incorporate more hands-on, real-world activities in my courses. My current students have thanked me for the videos I show, so I continue to include them. With each iteration, I create a better course. This process is fundamental to my teaching vocation.
Never Give Up on a Student
In class, I create a positive classroom environment through personal interaction with each of my students. I take a little time to meet them, either in class, after class, or in office hours. This process takes time, especially in larger classes. I publish my office hours and guarantee my availability during those times. In addition, students may request to meet with me outside of office hours. I respond quickly to emails, leading my students to trust that I am available. Eventually, I create a comfortable space for students to interact with each other and me as they navigate my course. This is reflected in the students who come to my office to talk university life or email me after a course ends to continuing discussing ideas. Some students will still slip through the cracks if I am not careful. As their teacher, it is my job to find them and assist. If a student is struggling or not regularly coming to class, I reach out to them either by talking to them after class or emailing them to ask what they need or want from my class. I work with them. I do not give up on my students. If they make a genuine effort, I meet them halfway. If not, I encourage them. This does not guarantee all my students will get the grades they desire. After all, grades and learning are two different things. Grades are designed to give a measure of a student’s mastery of the material in a course, while learning is reflected in how far a student has come during that course. Students have different abilities, and some do not need help. I guarantee all of my students will get as much help as they desire, even if the outcome is never a sure thing.
In the end, I want many of the same outcomes for my students that all educators want. I want them to wield subject-specific knowledge and deep thinking. I want them to connect to the greater world and find their place within it. I pursue these outcomes my way, by focusing on my students and on improving my practice for them. If I am flexible in my methods, continue to refine, and help my students, my students will reach these outcomes.