Such a wonderful post! Yes, I totally agree with you. I also appreciated the connection you made between music and teaching. Similar to how music artists recognize that they can’t perform in the same way everytime, teachers also should recognize that they too can not teach the same every time. The advancements in technology have helped with this movement, but I think the students we teach have also changed this as well. Students are coming in with new and old expectations of how to learn. As new faculty members and teachers, we need to recognize this and be prepared to adapt and change.

I love Brittany’s idea of the “professional mean guy who won’t fire you”!

I think you are wise beyond your “young” and “laid back” years. The level of awareness you have about the kinds of teaching voices that have inspired you and the values you infuse into your own teaching will stand you (and your students) in good stead.

Don’t laugh, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how we communicate with other animals lately, and am trying to become more aware of how important non-verbal communication is in a range of contexts — from the classroom, to the department meeting, to the dog walk, to the encounter with the deer in my driveway. We (humans) are so fixated on the logos, but the bird of space is at least as important.

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So many interesting insights here — and thanks very much for the perspective on Chinese culture. I agree with Brittany about wanting to foster an environment that encourages people to experiment and grow.

Ah, it feels like first semester of graduate school all over again! Thank you for taking me back to when we explored the work of Marcia Baxter Magolda. Fun Fact, I saw her at Kroger this summer! Random facts aside, I appreciated the way you connected self authorship to being an authentic teacher. I liked the struggles new teachers of wondering if students don’t like them or not. That is a struggle that is often difficult to overcome especially if you are starting your faculty career. However, knowing that it is a phase and that you can overcome it is helpful.

Like Sneha, I’m struck by your assertion that the classroom is as much a learning place for you as for the students. I think as teachers we need to own our identity as learners as well — partly because “learning” sounds more open-ended and ongoing to me. And I think that’s key to developing and maintaining an authentic teaching voice. We are all works in progress.

Thanks so much for this, Jason. I especially appreciate knowing about your dad’s role in shaping your path. And I think all of the readings this week highlight ways in which teaching and our teaching voices are dynamic. We’re always growing — or at least we should be. Thanks also for your service as a police officer!

I found your post really interesting. Like Robert, I responded to your reflection about the evolution of your teaching style and perception of how well you are meeting your students’ needs. And I agree that having such wonderful examples to draw on (like the prof who connected your “wrong” answer to a better one) is really helpful. But most of all, I’d like to suggest that the teaching you did before you finished your masters was fine. Yes, in many ways having the extra training does really benefit everyone (teacher and students). At the same time, it sounds like even in the early stages you were committed to engaging students and helping them learn. Without that commitment all the training in the world doesn’t help.

Nice. I met a lot of teachers with all these qualities! I think most of the teachers of this generation are concerned to avoid these behaviors in a classroom.