Philosophy

My teaching philosophy values diversity, community, and student development. Being a first-generation college student, having experienced both urban and rural environments, community college and university settings strengthens my relatability, authenticity, and communication as a college instructor. As such, establishing the classroom as a safe and inclusive space is important to me. Therefore empathy and compassion are placed at the center of my pedagogy. It is imperative that my students feel comfortable and safe while navigating their college career. My classroom is a place in which students are encouraged to be fearless, take initiative in their own education, and to challenge themselves and each other while learning about the social and cultural patterns that structure our world. Overall, I teach in relevant and interesting ways that encourage students to learn how to apply sociological concepts to their own lives.

Much of sociology's material contains sensitive topics that can sometimes be challenging for students to digest. I encourage personal growth while students learn to evaluate the social world and how their individual space is located and experienced within the larger structural forces that make up society. Moreover, my instruction emphasizes critical analysis and data driven conversations that play out in macro and micro level real world circumstances. One way I demonstrate this to my intro students is by playing the Game of Social Life. The game simulates a multidimensional approach to understanding structural inequality. Each student is given a randomized game card with an identity that experiences barriers to advance in the game due to race, gender, ability, class difference, health/illness etc. Through the gamified experience, students are able to generate a more complex understanding of social inequality. Past encounters with this exercise have elicited positive student responses expressing a deeper understanding to how our world is structured.