Teaching

Why Do I Teach?  "A life is only important in the impact that it has on other lives." - Jackie Robinson

The Jackie Robinson quote above summarizes why I teach.  Indeed, I am extremely passionate about teaching because I feel that it is the best way for me to use my passion for mathematics in a way that directly impacts people.  

How Do I Teach?  "The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics." - Paul Halmos

The Paul Halmos quote above summarizes how I strive to teach mathematics.  Although it is important for an instructor to give some explanations of concepts and demonstrations of skills, ultimately I believe that my job as an instructor is to facilitate learning in my students rather than attempt to implant knowledge into their brains.  

As a sports fan, I think of an analogy to coaching:  A coach cannot make their players better by just showing them the proper techniques or by telling them about different strategies.  Although this can be a useful starting point, the players ultimately must practice the skills themselves if they hope to improve.  Thus, a coach's primary role is to facilitate opportunities for players to practice their skills and provide feedback to help them grow along the way.  Likewise, as a mathematics instructor, my primary role is to facilitate opportunities for my students to discover and practice mathematics, frequently providing constructive feedback along the way.  While this oftentimes involves myself explaining new ideas and demonstrating skills, I strive to give my students as many opportunities to learn on their own as I can.

Professional Development

I am excited to serve as a peer mentor under Dr. Sean Yee through the peer mentorship program in the mathematics department at the University of South Carolina (USC) for the 2022-2023 academic year, in which I am serving as a mentor to novice graduate student instructors.

In January 2023, I completed the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) professional development program through the Center for Teaching Excellence at USC.  I plan to further complete the Preparing Future Faculty with Distinction in Teaching (PFF Plus) program before graduation.

In February 2023, I took and completed an asynchronous online course taught by Dr. Gloria Washington titled Teaching Online for Graduate Students through the Center for Teaching Excellence at USC.

Courses Taught

Below is a list of the courses that I've taught, along with links to their syllabi.  Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to see/use any of my resources (LaTeX files and/or PDF's).

As an Instructor of Record at University of South Carolina

As a Teaching Assistant at University of South Carolina

As a Peer Learning Associate at Gettysburg College