A deeper look at me as a teacher …
I enjoy the challenge of teaching difficult, often uncomfortable topics. Above, we’re revisiting class norms before discussing Emily Bernard’s complex and compelling essay, “Teaching the N-Word.”
As department chair, I led by listening, always trying to balance teachers’ needs with institutional objectives. Above is a sample from a brainstorming session on how best to encourage and support independent reading (IR) in Flint Hill students.
During my time at Flint Hill, I grew our visiting writers’ program into a mini-conference including nearly 20 professional writers in various disciplines, from political journalism to art criticism to fiction and poetry. Every student in the school participated in three sessions.
Using storytelling to convince and compel resonates through my writing and teaching life. Above, I’m at the Gaithersburg Book Festival discussing how historical fiction can flesh out the history of underrepresented groups, such as the LGBTQ people.
Teaching Philosophy
In his book Why Read?, Mark Edmundson believes that “a humanistic education begins in literature because, unlike philosophy, literature does not assume that one or two or five paths are enough to offer human beings. There are too many of us, and we are all too different; we all have our open-ended truths to pursue.” Through careful reading and self-reflection, we can begin to close the distance between our backgrounds, attitudes, and beliefs and those of characters in a novel or speakers in poetry or a director’s in a film. This endeavor is a gesture toward empathy, and it’s empathy that best guides us on how to live our lives—what values to uphold, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to be charitable, thoughtful individuals.
With that in mind, an English teacher’s job is to be a good listener. We need to think deeply about what students say, read their body language with care, and make inquiries about their intellectual interests so that, in turn, we can build bridges between their lives and the texts we study. Yes, teaching English is about developing communication skills—and the importance of that can’t be understated—but it’s also about exposing students to the experiences of lives different from their own and helping them understand themselves more profoundly. Whether we are reading traditional forms, like novels and poetry, or exploring non-traditional forms, like graphic novels, films, and podcasts, my job is to craft curricula that blend my professional expertise with my students’ intellectual passions. By doing so, I offer them clear reasoning for why these texts are relevant to their lives. The result, I hope, will be to empower them with knowledge and know-how, and encourage them to use that power to do good in the world.
Teaching Style
I integrate direct instruction, discussion, one-to-one conferencing, and small group activities to create a dynamic student experience. I want students to take ownership of their development as readers and writers. For this reason, I incorporate inquiry-based writing and research projects whenever possible and emphasize the revision process through portfolio work, teaching students to set personal goals and to reflect on their progress. I also encourage and support independent reading, so students have space in the curriculum to pursue their interests. I’ve worked for years in 1:1 laptop environment, and I’m proficient with Apple and Google products, not to mention a variety of online programs like NoRedInk and Membean. While technology has exposed me to incredible new vehicles for instruction, my relationship with students is still the beating heart of my teaching. Since anxiety about academic performance continues to increase, I communicate my expectations for assignments clearly, so students always have their bearings. I also employ mindfulness activities and regular check-ins to curb stress during the busier periods of the year.
Leadership Style
Being an effective academic leader, like being a good teacher, means learning to listen. Over my seven years as department chair, I have discovered that forming healthy partnerships, whether it’s with colleagues or parents, has yielded the best results when implementing curricular changes or planning events. These strong relationships are born out of the mutual understanding that we all have the same goal: to help students develop intellectually, physically, and emotionally. I’ve learned to set aside my objectives and listen to the concerns of others first. In keeping with tenants of Design Thinking, I try to empathize with the stakeholders before tackling a problem, which often yields a more nuanced and stable solution. Of course, because of an urgent need or limited timeframe, I’ve had to make a decision on my own and accept the responsibility for its outcome, which is also an essential part of leadership. In my experience, if you’ve garnered enough goodwill by empathizing with stakeholders in the past, they are more willing to accept a decision you’ve made independently.
A Teaching Writer
In addition to my teaching, I write mysteries and review crime fiction. My writing and my teaching come from the same impulse: a strong belief in the power of well-told stories to transform us and to complicate our understanding of the world around us. I bring my knowledge of contemporary literature and the dynamics of the publishing industry to the classroom. As a result, I have become passionate about interrogating the predominance of the straight white cisgender male points-of-view in English curricula. We need to continue to diversify the perspectives represented by the texts we teach and learn to view classic works through different cultural lenses. We also need to vary the types of writing we assign. While the traditional analytical essay is essential, it’s one form of writing among many that students will encounter in their lives.