Jan. 17, 2006 issue
I started here in the summer and taught the botany half of "Introductory
Biology II." I'm a plant ecologist, and love to teach plants! I like teaching
courses with both lecture and lab components because I think hands-on
lab activities really help students understand concepts from lecture.
In addition, labs are fun!
I also enjoyed the two classes I taught in the fall, "Life Sciences for
Elementary Teachers" and "Cellular and Molecular Biology." The students
in the course for elementary teachers are going to be responsible
for introducing kids to biology, which is why I think teaching
it is important. Teaching this course gives me an opportunity
to influence future teachers who will, in turn, influence
the kids that will someday sit in my college biology classroom. The cell
biology course is for biology majors. I really enjoy teaching
biology students. It's great to interact with students who are as excited
about biology as I am!
I like teaching motivated students who want to learn. Many of the students
I've taught at EMU seem to recognize that they need an education ,
not just a degree. When students work hard, they push me to work hard,
too, and that makes me a better teacher. I did my undergraduate work at
EMU (class of '96) and some of my professors are still here. I think they're
great teachers. They have influenced my own teaching philosophy in many
ways. To eventually be a professor here, that would be nice.
