Experience Summary
My teaching experience is broad across subjects and age levels. Learning and teaching excite me and I like to think that attitude rubs off on my students. It can be fun to learn, and even those subjects a student does not find enjoyable, can prove satisfying. I've taught middle school and high school, as well as at Bellevue College, Renton technical College, and North Seattle Community College. My own experiences include not just teaching, but also professional broadcasting, journalism (both broadcast and print newswriting, creative writing, editing, and reporting), writing a book, supervising employees as well as students, and poetry awards.
Teaching Style
I like students to be comfortable, enjoy their experiences with me as much as possible, and learn not only the material they need to study, but also habits and practices that will help them with future studies.
My Hobbies
I enjoy all kinds of handwork, reading, sewing, walking in the woods, being with my dog, cooking, and working with a non-profit organization I founded helping women recover from violence.
Other Comments
Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, my job is to stir interest, encourage engagement, illustrate the importance of the subject and provide the best information possible. I strive to improve students’ educational experiences by helping them understand the process of communication, whether interpersonally or through media, and learn about the development and importance of communication skills.
As a teacher, journalist and broadcaster, I believe in the importance of accurate, appropriate and effective communication, whether that communication is personal, one-on-one, nonverbal, or worldwide. I believe an education in all levels of communication is essential for success no matter the field the student pursues. My real world experience in so many areas of the communications field – print, broadcast, advertising, podcast- allows me to have the generalized knowledge students can use not only personally but also in their chosen careers. My education background allows me to help students benefit from those experiences. Students have to function in a multi-cultural, global world, and in order to do so effectively; they must study the basis of all interaction – communication.
In that respect, I think it imperative that students receive a classroom experience that is inter-active, practical, and group work based. Such classrooms foster critical thinking about the knowledge area, enable students to see practical skills in action, and develop a strong foundation in communication. I believe theoretical and cultural perspectives; as well as historical perspectives, are crucial to developing effective communication skills. I would like my students to master the course content, but I would also like them to weave that content into their daily lives. A good understanding of communication skills enhances students in their personal and professional lives.
My teaching philosophy supports an interactive environment, group collaboration, critical thinking about how communication skills are most effective, and most of all, an emphasis on the listening part of the communication process.