Aug. 14, 2007 issue

I started at Eastern Michigan University as an undergraduate and continued on to get my master's in biology. I did one of the early theses (there were probably no more than 10 at the time) that had been done in our master's program.  

Probably a key career turning point for me was getting a teaching assistantship as I was getting my master's. That's when I discovered I liked to teach. I taught Biology 105 to freshmen and a histology lab to juniors and seniors. Seeing the lights turning on when a student says, "Aha. I got that." That's a major rush.

I like organizing material and trying to sell it. I put myself in the students' shoes and see how they're going to grab it. It has been an ongoing challenge. I'm still doing that 40 years later. How do I get them to understand?

There have been huge waves of changes over the years. Every five years or so, you get a different group of students in their background, preparation and their attitude towards learning. You need to adjust your course and teaching to that. Students are much more visually oriented now. I use an array of Power Point presentations and video snippets and interactive labs. Student's lives are fast paced and they expect that in the classroom. They want learning to be entertaining and exciting.

Most recently, I've been working out with the EMU pole vaulters, which gives me the opportunity to get to know about 12 students out of the classroom. I learn from them and am reminded of the many challenges impacting students today. It's an exciting and dynamic place.

My colleagues are certainly a major part of why I'm still teaching and plan to do so for a few years yet. We're a very cohesive department. Everyone respects quality teaching and getting good research done. We're good friends and have an excellent department head who keeps this place going forward.

 

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