Foundation Award for Teaching

I. Philosophy of Teaching

Over my years in education, my teaching philosophy has continually evolved; yet, three core principles remain constant: humanizing, relevant, and relation-centered pedagogy. Inspired early in my career by Freire, Gorski, and Salazar, I embraced humanizing pedagogy as a response to the dehumanization often present in education. Grounded in equity-centered trauma-informed (Shevrin-Venet, 2021) practices, I intentionally design my courses to support student development and well-being. Relevance is another cornerstone, shaped by my K–12 classroom experiences and research that emphasizes goal-setting, innovation, feedback, and project-based learning to connect content to students’ lives. This principle also fuels my drive for continuous improvement in my teaching. Learning alongside my students about how to be a better human and educator each semester is one of the best parts of this career. Finally, relation-centered pedagogy underscores my belief that strong teacher-student relationships are foundational to learning. Inspired by Shalaby, Dugan, hooks, and others, I lead with vulnerability and authenticity to create meaningful, lasting connections. While the expression of my teaching philosophy has shifted along with the audience that I get the privilege of teaching, these three interconnected pillars continue to shape my practice and reflect my deep belief in the transformative power of education.

II. Example of Courses/Topics

Currently I am the course director/coordinator for the following two courses:

• ELE 500 - Current Issues and Applications in Elementary Education
  Application of current innovations and examination of contemporary issues facing elementary teachers including classroom management, inclusion, multilingual learners, integrated planning and instruction with art, music, health and physical education. This integrated planning is achieved through the creation of a project based learning unit that follows Buck Institute for Education Gold Standard Design for PBL to address a UN Sustainable Development Goal to teach the Missouri Learning Standards. This course includes a comprehensive 130 hour internship in an area school that I coordinate placing students in classroom for.
  
  
• ELE 530 - Teaching Multilingual Learners in the Elementary Classroom
  Focuses on state and federal mandates for educating multilingual learners in U.S. public schools. Introduces the fundamentals of second language acquisition and instructed academic language learning. Emphasis on current, standards-based approaches to teaching multilingual learners in the regular elementary classroom through differentiation and sheltered instruction of grade-level content. This course requires students to work one on one with a multilingual learner to apply their understanding of theory to practice.

III. Future Projects

• Current Research that Impacts Teaching that Is Under Review by the Journal of Educational Research:
  More Than a Manicure: How Schools Create Barriers for Educator Self Care
  This article examines the systemic barriers within the American public school system that impede educators' ability to engage in meaningful self-care practices. Drawing on a mixed-methods study involving semi-structured interviews with ten teachers and a nationwide survey of 75 educators, the research explores teachers' perceptions of self-care and the obstacles they face in prioritizing their well-being. Key findings reveal that while the vast majority of teachers recognize the importance of self-care, a significant proportion find it difficult to practice and often resort to "faux self-care" activities. The study identifies several inherent design flaws within the school system that contribute to this challenge, including the structure of the teacher's day that prevent teachers from meeting basic physiological needs, rigid student and faculty handbooks that prevent teachers from enacting their values, and policies and perceptions surrounding sick leave. The article concludes that basic fundamental changes to the structure and culture of the American public school system are necessary to empower educators to engage in real self-care that addresses the root causes of stress and promotes long-term well-being.
  
  
• Current Research that Impacts Teaching that Is In Press in the International Handbook of Relational Pedagogy:
  One Educator’s Journey Towards Centering Love Through Equity and Trauma-Informed Relational Pedagogy:
  In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the impact that trauma can have on American students. This has led to a plethora of resources emerging to help educators enact trauma informed practices. The author attests to this from her 12 years in the K12 setting prior to entering higher education. While many of the efforts she made to enact trauma-informed practices were well-intentioned, they were short sighted in several ways. In this article, the author shares her journey towards enacting what she calls equity-centered trauma-informed  relational pedagogy in the Midwestern United States. This will include defining equity-centered trauma-informed relational pedagogy, sharing missteps in implementing trauma informed education practices in the K12 setting, and shifts in mindset around the need to center equity to create a trauma-free world. Writing from a place of vulnerability, the author hopes that other educators will read this journey and critically reflect on their own. As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Teaching Projects Next Academic Year

• Begin working with ELE Faculty to design EEM 440: Classroom Culture – a course we are “reviving” to re-add to our program. In this course, students will learn about building a positive, trauma-informed classroom culture that centers relationships with students as the foundation for learning. This will be an addition to our program to help address the need for students to feel more equipped to address classroom management in today’s classrooms.
  
  
• Redesign ELE 723: Social Emotional Learning – This course was recently added as a permanent offering to our graduate program. I need to update portions of this course and expand it to be offered over a longer block of time. It has traditionally been offered in summer intersession over 3 weeks and now will be expanded to be offered as an 8 week course to better reflect the rigor, depth of learning, and information that is embedded within the course.

IV. Topics related to teaching and of interest to the University Community, for which you are available for presentations and/or consultations (e.g., presentation tools, special topics, technology, public affairs).

• Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education
• Secondary Trauma in Education
• Self-Care for Educators
• Educator Wellness
• Equity-Centered Practices in the Classroom
• Mental Health First Aid