Teaching Philosophy

Teaching—especially in the humanities—should always strive to move beyond the simple divulging of facts and knowledge or even the training of certain skills. Instead, teachers in a liberal arts environment have the broad responsibility of serving as guide and mentor on an intellectual journey, opening and broadening curious minds by exposing them to new thoughts and ideas. As liberal education helps expand the students’ horizon and forces them to critically examine their values, goals, and ideals, they learn to sympathize and empathize with others of different backgrounds. This, in turn, enables them to come fully into their own as human beings who can share the common bond of humanity with other world citizens as they retain and value their distinguished and separate identities. This mandate of creating self-aware, self-reliant, and self-governing citizens is the underlying philosophy in all my teaching.