I must confess, I’ve always been skeptical about group work. Raised in East Asia, my K–16 education relied heavily, if not exclusively, on lectures. Even during my graduate studies in mathematics at a flagship public university in the US, my classmates and I rarely engaged
I often think teaching should be an Olympic sport. It takes skill, knowledge of your craft, a lot of practice, dedication, will, and resilience. All these attributes have been on display as the world has watched the games this summer. As a teacher, there are
From an early age, I was immersed in the Muslim tradition that taught me to learn from every facet of the natural world—from the majesty of mountains to the quiet diligence of ants. This philosophy is meant to cultivate a sense of humility within us
A childhood friend of mine passed away a few years ago. We worked on the high school yearbook together, but what was for me an extracurricular became for him a lifelong passion for journalism. He majored in it in college and became a sports reporter.
It wasn’t until I described how watching Ian McKellen’s explication of Macbeth helped me recover from a lousy class session that I realized how often I turn to YouTube videos to process the ups and downs of teaching. Here are a few more of my
Why do I teach? You might as well ask, “Why are you breathing?” That’s how essential teaching has been in the daily pattern of my life since 1980. And like breathing, it is hard to figure out what the mechanics of my teaching are; they
In May 2024, Annalise Nisly graduated from Goshen College with an environmental and marine science major with a concentration in marine biology as a member of the “Covid class” of students who had started college during the height of the pandemic. Lamar Nisly has since
We all have had that lesson that has not gone the way we anticipated: we set high goals for our students, and whether because of delivery or circumstances out of our control, the lesson failed. We also struggle with failures as we aim to inspire
Most professors love to learn. Our bookshelves are full of books, our inboxes full of newsletters, and our files (paper or electronic) full of possibilities! Each one contains excellent resources, techniques, and ideas we plan to try someday. But for many of us, someday doesn’t
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