Northcentral University

Maria Rodriguez, PhD Full-Time Faculty, Department of Psychology TEACHINGTIPS My time at NCU over the past two years has made me greatly reflect on my teaching philosophy. I first started this process right after I graduated because I knew I wanted to be a professor and I did not want to internalize the harmful traits that some of my professors had demonstrated. I imagined myself being a rigorous yet caring professor. Several behaviors that I witnessed wouldn't work for this style. The only quote I vividly remember one of my doctoral professors saying is, "Your problem is not my problem." Other professors didn't answer emails, didn't provide feedback on assignments, and frequently missed classes without constructing a plan for us to somehow make up that lost time. While, I also had committed professors, I still left academia feeling wounded but hopeful that I could have a positive impact on future students. When I began teaching at a brick-and-mortar university, I began to have an internal struggle. My previous experiences dictated that a student must be motivated to enroll and succeed in graduate school. I had internalized the dialogue that graduate school is only for a select group of individuals who are more intelligent and more motivated than the rest of the population. The most recent U.S. Census Statistics can even support this belief if you don't reflect on the disparities between different groups. Two percent of the U.S. population have a doctorate degree and 9.6% hold a Master's degree (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Many academics cite this statistic as a badge of honor, but I now view this as a shameful reality. If we analyze the statistics further, we can see that there are clearly social determinants of higher education. More males (2.5%) hold doctorates than females (1.6%), and there doesn't seem to be readily available data on individuals who may not self-identify in either of these groups. Non-Hispanic Whites (2.3%) hold doctorates more than Blacks (1.2%) or Hispanics of any race (0.6%). The reality is that many talented individuals don't have an advanced degree due to factors such as a poor educational background, financial constraints, and family obligations. We, as academics with doctoral degrees, should be proud that we earned a doctorate, but we have a great responsibility to educate different groups of people in order to make a positive social impact and reduce disparities. Joining NCU's culture taught me that there are higher education institutions that seek to reduce inherent disparities in society by accepting nearly all students who apply and offering scholarships through various mechanisms. There is now no doubt in my mind that the professor's role is not just to impart knowledge to students who learned how to write well and had a good elementary education. We are granted another opportunity to fill in the gaps that were not addressed in early education and motivate people to study to improve their own lives and the lives of others around them. By aligning my own beliefs in social justice with my vocation to help students reach their maximum potential, I also relieve some of the frustrations I felt before. When I open an 8-page essay that has many errors that I have already pointed out in past assignments, I activate my empathy and think of other types of feedback that I can give and other NCU team members who can help me support this student. I often reflect on my privilege growing up within the academic culture as a professor's daughter. I can't expect my students to necessarily know how to be graduate students. Every interaction with the student is a teachable moment, and when I have the urge to react when I feel a student is not listening, I take a deep breath and come back to 8

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