Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy of teaching is to attempt to bring out the best in my students and myself. I try to emphasize the practical “hands on” ability to master a professional skill, along with providing my students enough theoretical information for them to fully understand the concept. I try to incorporate the idea of CANI (constant and never ending improvement) in my students and myself. The Japanese have a word, ‘kaizen’ for continuous ongoing improvement. I believe that learning and teaching are a shared responsibility and that both students and teachers can help each other in the pursuit of knowledge. Learning is a lifelong process influenced by many factors, including a person's awareness, unique perspective and interpretation of all that is perceived.
I've tried to continually improve my teaching skills by attending and presenting at several conferences for educators, including the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Conference (CELT) at California State University, Chico, along with the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) and the International Great Teachers Conference at Butte College. My nine years of teaching experience at the university level has been a very rewarding experience and I plan to remain a teacher throughout my entire career.
Part of my teaching philosophy is to offer students a perspective on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the skills that they will need in the professional world. For the last eight years, I have asked my students to complete a community service project. Students have created a variety of graphic design projects for local non-profit and business organizations. We have had a lot of success with this project and worked with a variety of the community organizations, including Hospice, Chico Museum, Girl Scouts, Migrant Head Start, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, Boys and Girls Club, Fairfield Artists Guild, Rosemont Little League, California Association of Midwives, Hmong Student University Association, Solano County Health and Social Services, Sierra Nueva High School, California State Rural Health Association, Sacramento Chinese Baptist Church, Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, Youth Employment Opportunity Program, Chico Creek Nature Center, Community Action Agency, Enloe Hospital, First United Methodist church, Shasta Elementary School and many others. As a result of this experience, students gained practical hands-on job experience. In fact, several students were offered employment as a result of this project.
Diversity statement- Another part of my teaching philosophy is to develop a good working relationship with students from a variety of cultural backgrounds. My courses are usually filled with students from diverse backgrounds. These have often included students of Hmong, Japanese, African-American and Spanish heritage. I enjoy working with students from a variety of backgrounds and I have received high student evaluations. On a personal note: I was the only white member of a Boy Scout troop I joined while my family lived in St. Thomas, in the Caribbean.