Teaching Philosophy:

My grandfather was fond of saying, “if you are not learning; you are not living.” While I was young, I did not fully appreciate that notion; however, I have since become a huge proponent of lifelong learning and the sharing of knowledge with others. Preparing undergraduate and graduate students for careers, especially in disciplines that require an understanding and appreciation of legal concepts, such as student services in an higher education setting and/or intercollegiate athletic administration is an extremely rewarding career choice. As I aim to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills through legal and ethics courses, my teaching and research agenda will be broadened.  

There are a few learning goals that I have for my students, and I utilize a variety of pedagogical tools/modalities to facilitate these goals. Much of my teaching surrounds legal and ethical environments in which institutions of higher learning and intercollegiate athletics inhabit. To ensure that course goals are satisfactorily accomplished, I first must be cognizant of the various learning styles that students bring to the classroom and the pace in which they learn. For this I must remain vigilant and check my own learning biases at the door.

Law, as an academic discipline, affects everyone. Undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of academic discipline studied, or career endeavors, would benefit from a solid foundation on the legal system from the systemwide approach to the reasoning and analysis employed courts when interpreting the Constitution, statutes, regulations, and previous precedence when examining substantive law. As a teacher, I need to establish an environment that in conducive to learning the content, but ancillary skills that are academically imperative for the higher education, or other professional.

Skills such as critical thinking as developed through the infamous Socratic method, oral presentation and case briefs, writing and verbal communication, and analytical problem solving. These ancillary skills are valuable in the expansion of one’s intellectual curiosity, which allows students to address legal and ethical dilemmas in their professional lives and encourage a level of civic engagement for each student, regardless of their chosen professional goals. My focus is not on the students’ conclusion in a particular assignment, but the students’ ability to utilize critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills to arrive at their conclusion.