Teaching History & Philosophy

My unique life experiences of living and teaching in various states throughout the country have provided me with an ability to understand the multitude of differences among students. My career began during the pursuit of my bachelor’s degree in Long Beach, California, where I became a certified instructor of Lifeguard Training, Water Safety, First Aid and CPR.  After graduating from CSULB, I pursued a Master’s degree from Northern Illinois University and a secondary teaching license in health, physical education, and social science. The summers of my bachelor’s and master’s degrees were spent guiding whitewater rafting trips down the Snake River in Wyoming and the Salmon River in Idaho, where I taught patrons ranging in ages five to seventy how to successfully maneuver a raft down a river of rapids and shared my knowledge on the diverse geography and wildlife found in the Rocky Mountain regions.

After earning an M.S.Ed., I taught health and physical education at a Midwestern suburban high school, worked for the American Red Cross teaching courses in downtown Chicago, and then took a position at a small community college where I taught Contemporary Health Issues, First Aid, CPR and Lifeguard Training. When I decided to pursue a doctorate in education at Northern Illinois University, I was also hired to teach health and physical education courses. Eventually this position included teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in educational foundations, adult and higher education, and critical pedagogy. Throughout the years, my class sizes have ranged from as small as seven to as large as 240, and I have been exposed to a variety of learners from multiple age groups and from different ethnic, cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Motivated by compassion and love of humanity, I view my interactions with students as a quest for mutual humanization. My philosophy is rooted in the tradition that focuses on education for liberation and empowerment and has been greatly influenced by the writings of Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh. I see my pedagogy as not merely a method of teaching, rather a philosophy of life which stems from my humanistic worldview that all life forms are interconnected, and that when one life form suffers, all life forms suffer. Echoing the philosophies of Gandhi, King, and Hanh, my belief is that human suffering harms us all, and it is in everyone’s interest to think more deeply about creating a society that provides people with support and access to resources that promotes opportunity, good health and happiness.

As a humanist educator, I am dedicated to addressing issues of social, economic, racial and environmental injustice by implementing a Freireian-inspired pedagogy. Freire’s pedagogical ideas have given me the theoretical grounds to help articulate and validate my progressive teaching philosophy. I try to model problem-posing education in which the curriculum is learner-centered, the relevance of the material is paramount, and the teacher is no longer solely the one-who-teaches, but rather is the one who is also taught through dialogue with students. I introduce students to a humanist philosophy of education where all people are valued regardless of race, class, gender or any other difference.

I emphasize the importance of critical thinking and encourage students to consider multiple perspectives and possibilities regarding issues that impact individuals, society and the environment. Using Freire’s ideas as a conceptual foundation, I have developed a pedagogy of hope designed to inspire students to engage and think through the social and economic inequalities found in the United States and around the world. I also provide opportunities for students to clarify their values and examine the implications of their personal choices on their overall physical, emotional and mental health, as well as the effect these choices may have on society as a whole.

My core commitment is excellence in teaching. My methods are designed to inspire future and current teachers, as well as provide positive learning experiences for students from other disciplines. Both undergraduate and graduate students have expressed appreciation for my ability to make learning exciting, relevant and transformational. Students have indicated that I do this, in part by creating a classroom learning environment where they feel comfortable voicing their ideas and concerns. In 2011, I was invited to deliver the keynote address at the Illinois Education Association Annual Student Conference. The title of my presentation was Be the Teacher Students Remember. In this address, I shared with teacher candidates the strategies I use in my classroom that I believe lead to this type of pedagogy, which include respecting the lived experiences of students and helping them link material learned in class to their personal lives.

The classroom can be a powerful and transformational place where students can become critically aware of important issues impacting humanity. My educational goals include giving voice to those traditionally unheard and creating awareness of barriers caused by current forms of hegemony and oppression. I seek student empowerment by incorporating engaged learning experiences designed to encourage students to reflect and take action on the knowledge learned. My intent is to motivate students to create happier, healthier, and more productive lives for themselves and others in order to move society in a direction that is more just, with less suffering and more hopefulness.