Mentor

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate
Ph. D.

Teaching Philosophy

A belief that all students can learn and that they are capable of achieving excellence when provided with appropriate opportunities for learning forms the basis of my philosophy of teaching.  A teacher's most important responsibilities are to stimulate students to experience the exhilaration of learning, the pleasure of improvement, the joy of accomplishment, and the feeling of self-worth that learning brings.  We must show them the way to reach goals and to accept nothing less than
their best.  Our demand for excellence from our students must reflect our own persistence in our personal quest for excellence.  This does not imply that we must be models of perfection but that we must demonstrate how struggling, making mistakes, reflecting, and revising are integral components of the learning process. 

A teacher must be more than an "expert" conveying knowledge.  Our challenge is to take information which may not always immediately capture the interest of students and make it come alive, make it stimulate their natural inquisitiveness, and create within them the desire for more.  The familiar quote, "I hear-I forget; I see-I
remember; I do-I understand!" captures the essence of my approach to teaching.  Students of any age must be actively engaged in the learning process, not be passive recipients of meaningless information and procedures.  Students must be "doing" before true understanding is
attainable.  A teacher's role should be that of a facilitator and motivator; one who immediately encourages them to try again when they experience failure.  Even more important is our communication of a positive, caring attitude that leaves no doubt in students' minds of our sincerity and commitment to them.  Our attitude is mirrored in our students, and they in turn behave according to their perception of our
expectations of them.

Academic/Research Interests

Using manipulatives and technology in teaching mathematics

Non-Academic Interests

Running (training for 1/2 marathons)

University Service

• Professional Education Committee

• Academic Review Committee

• Academic Activities Committee

• Teaching Excellence at NGCSU Awards Committee

• Learning and Technology Center Steering Committee

• Faculty Senate

• CIO Search Committee, chair

• Mathematics Faculty Search Committee, chair