Teaching Experience
While considering why teaching is a rewarding profession, I reflected on
the different roles I have had as a teacher and the positive impact they
have made. These untraditional “teacher” roles include tutor,
mentor, camp counselor, and teaching assistant. After graduating from college,
I spent a number of years tutoring both high school students and adults
in math and science subjects. During this time, I realized the influence
that my interest in the student, enthusiasm for the subject, and ability
to teach a concept in different ways had on the student’s ability
to learn. My goal in teaching at the college level is to be able to teach
a larger number of students while maintaining the stimulating environment
I experienced while tutoring.
At Duke University I was a teaching assistant for the Structure-Function in Biology course. As this course was a new course, I had the opportunity to learn about planning and designing the course format, lectures and computer laboratory exercises. I also participated in other teaching related opportunities while at Duke. I was a fellow in the Preparing Future Faculty program and was mentored by Dr Yuko Miyamoto at Elon University. I have also participated in courses related to teaching, including Teaching College Biology and Instructional Uses of Technology.
