As a teacher, I am not the “sage on the stage”. Rather, I see myself as a facilitator, there to help my students discover how they learn best and use that knowledge to process the material they need from my course to be successful in college, in their careers, and in their lives.

     Learning should be joyful; my engaging and enthusiastic teaching style translates well to the online classroom and reaches students who may not have had the best classroom experiences.

     I genuinely enjoy getting to know my students.  I feel honored and humbled to be a part of their life-changing decision to obtain an education. 

     At a recent position I had a student who was always a few minutes late for my class.  After checking with her advisor, I found out she was homeless and living in a shelter.  Every day before class she had to ride the bus to work, work all day, ride the bus back to the shelter to grab her class materials, and then take the bus back to my class.

     While she was usually late due to the buses, she was always well-prepared and added tremendously to our discussions.  After class she went to the campus library and worked until the library closed.  She then caught the last bus back to the shelter, only to do the very same thing the next day. 

      A few weeks into my class she walked in one night on time, with a huge smile on her face.  When I greeted her, she shared that she had saved up enough money from her job to buy her first car.  I was so excited and happy for her! The entire class went out to the parking lot to see her new vehicle and congratulate her.

     She continued being a vital part of the class and received a well-earned “A” at the end.  But even better, she found an apartment and went on to finish her degree and obtain a better job.  Students like her are why I teach.