April 5, 2005 issue
When I was interviewed for a job at EMU in 2002, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. I found it quite attractive. I felt welcomed and supported. I receive recognition for the things I do.
I like the variety of students in my classes. Some of them are older returning students and some of are traditional students, which make for an interesting conversation between the students because they bring so many different experiences and ideas to the classes.
My main goal, when teaching, is to get students to draw links between what they have read and their experiences and careers. I try to get students to see how theory can explain actions that occur or educational policies that might be supported by different groups of people. I also try to get them to see how different practices illuminate theoretical concepts. I work on getting students to examine the material they are studying for the course in creative ways.
I can work on what I am interested in and what benefits everyone who gets involved. I've had two grants to bring Ukrainian teachers here. I think it's important for Eastern Europeans and Eurasians to be able to come to the United States to see how people here practice more democratic habits than has been the case in the post-Soviet world. Reading about it is not the same as seeing people speaking openly and freely in their daily lives.
I'd like to keep trying to obtain grants that will involve various people at EMU and in the community with educators and students from other parts of the world. That benefits the visitors and it also benefits faculty, staff and students at EMU — as well as teachers and students in the nearest schools — to interact with people because they learn about another part of the world. It contributes toward good will between people from different countries.
I am committed to internationalization, and that's one of the strategic initiatives that EMU has. I'd like us do more in this regard because the world is getting smaller. It would be nice if every student here learned a foreign language and went to study abroad.
