Teaching Philosophy

1. First, I aim to model radical compassion. Life happens, and I can either make it easier or harder for my students. I choose to show compassion in difficult situations, and treat students as whole human beings. This doesn't mean always being permissive and allowing potentially harmful behavior; sometimes saying "no" is the most compassionate thing. 
 

2. I value making mistakes and providing opportunities to learn from errors. I've learned the most from the times I have messed up, and have had opportunities to correct my errors.
 

3. I want to encourage students to apply content outside of the classroom. Even in a class like statistics, where you aren't going to tackle t-tests in every day life, skills like working through a step-by-step process or critical thinking are useful for navigating all of life's challenges.
 

4. I want to always model authenticity. We live in a world where it can be hard to be authentic, for fear of judgment, ostracization, or concerns about professionalism. I aim to show students my true self, my interests and my struggles, while still maintaining professional boundaries. My hope is to serve as a model of authenticity that students can aspire to.
 

5. I always engage in ongoing critical reflection about teaching practices. I am always evolving as a person and as a teacher. Part of this process is engaging in continual reflection about my practices: what's going well? What isn't? Where can I improve? I always strive to be the best I can be, and that might change depending on the season.