Teaching

Sometimes  learning happens when you least  expect it. Students rarely learn from a lecture. The lecture merely sets the stage for what is to come. In order to learn, you must engage with the subject. That is why I believe that the majority of my teaching time should be spent facilitating, not talking. I have important things to share, but so do my students. I try to make them question, speak, and listen and I try to do the same. Learning is a collaborative act.

Learning happens in an atmosphere of trust. In order to learn, students must first be able to admit what they do not know. They must allow themselves to be vulnerable, and to do this, they must trust their teacher and each other. As a teacher, I work very hard to ensure that I do not waste my students’ time. I plan carefully and creatively so that our time together is used in the best way. I do not spend class time delivering facts, but I do point out which facts are most important. I make sure that my students spend class time working together–something that is much harder to achieve outside of class. And I make sure that I challenge them, but provide a safety net. I want them to leave class a little sweaty and filled with both wonder and accomplishment.