My Teaching Philosophy

“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

The Little Prince is one of my favorite titles because, as an adult, I hope I can always remind myself to be as curious and imaginative as my younger self once was. The Little Prince talks about going against the norm, the importance of creativity, and; most importantly; about being a lifelong learner.

A lot of students perceive their college career as a race to a degree, that learning ends when school does. By making degrees an end-goal and thinking of learning as a burden, students lose sight of the true reason why they sit through class every day: to acquire knowledge, apply that knowledge, and establish a habit of inquiry. This exceedingly widespread misconception of higher education is exceedingly widespread among today's students and, when unremedied, can really dampen students’ potential. For that reason, I strive to shift students' mindset in my classrooms from being goal-oriented to being process-oriented.

Learning, as a process, requires a safe, joyful, and conducive environment accompanied by meaningful instructor-student relationships. As with every relationship, there are two facets: respect and vulnerability. Showing empathy and respect to students is the first step, followed by modeling vulnerability. Modeling vulnerability includes acknowledging the mistakes I make and sharing stories of the hardships I have overcome. 

Just as important, I am firm believer in science as a creative endeavor as a lot of what scientists do require creativity. From problem solving to designing an experiment, to teach without addressing this misconception would be a disservice. Students are generally taught early on that science is a rigid and systematic discipline; from the scientific method to a step-by-step lab manual, students seldom get to experience creativity in science - which is why I strive to have students express their creativity in the classroom.