Teaching Recognitions

I work closely and intentionally with my students. Teaching performance is rooted in trust, transformation, and care. Because performance-based learning requires vulnerability, students must feel supported in order to take creative risks. I prioritize building classroom environments grounded in mutual respect, accountability, and shared responsibility, where students are encouraged to explore boldly while remaining accountable to themselves and one another.

 

Creating performance is much like working in a laboratory. The process involves experimentation, observation, revision, and discovery. Rather than testing formulas or running simulations, we work with the body, voice, memory, and imagination. Students test ideas through movement, storytelling, improvisation, and reflection, learning what becomes possible when they allow themselves to move freely, speak with intention, and think critically.

 

Black theatre scholars such as Dr. Sharrell D. Luckett, Dr. Tia Shaffer, and Cristal Chanelle Truscott describe this depth of engagement in Black Acting Methods. I am particularly drawn to Truscott's research on SoulWork—a method that mirrors the emotional and reflective processes found in healing practices. Incorporating SoulWork into my teaching allows students to access ways of knowing that are often undervalued in traditional academic settings. Through this process, students come to understand the body as a site of knowledge, memory, resistance, and joy, and they begin reclaiming their voices in ways that are both deeply personal and powerfully political.

 

Many students choose to retake my courses or request letters of recommendation, including majors from the humanities, sciences, and social sciences who value the balance of challenge, creativity, and care in my teaching. I often describe my courses as approachable but rigorous. While the material is accessible and grounded in everyday experience, I maintain clear expectations around preparation, graded participation, and accountability. My grading policies are designed to emphasize equity and transparency. These include opportunities to revise assignments within one week of grading, one no-penalty late submission per semester, clearly structured deadlines, explicit attendance expectations, built-in rehearsal and independent work time, and multiple opportunities for extra credit that are communicated at the start of the semester. Together, these practices support student learning while maintaining high academic standards.

 

I also prioritize access and support beyond the classroom. I regularly hold extended office hours and stay after class throughout the week to provide students with opportunities to check in, ask questions, and receive feedback. Many students take advantage of this time, which allows me to support their academic progress and remain attentive to moments when additional care or resources may be needed. While most students are successful because they regularly communicate with me, I continue to reflect on and refine my teaching practices in response to student feedback and institutional learning opportunities.

 

My engaged approach to teaching is deeply informed by my graduate training and by bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress. I first read this book in my master's program, which shaped my commitment to critical and engaged pedagogy. This praxis invites students to see learning as participatory, reflective, and transformative. While receiving feedback—especially critical feedback—can be challenging, I value it as an essential part of growth. Understanding how students experience the classroom helps me remain accountable to my teaching goals and responsive to my students' evolving needs.​​​​​​​​​​​​

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