For me, teaching and research are both highly active and liberating enterprises. I love the work I do as a teacher because it involves teaching others about developing an informed reflexive consciousness, which I believe is so necessary for making wise decisions in life. I am also passionate about my students because students have been my very best teachers. Students have shown me over and over that what matters most to them about our classroom experience is that they learn to integrate scholarship with their own personal journey. This reciprocity, of sharing my knowledge with students and learning from them, provides the inspiration for the research I do on family diversity and individuals who remain at risk.
Teaching is thus a great privilege and a wonderful pleasure.
The Social Chair of the Academy of Teaching Excellence provides leadership for keeping the Academy members in touch with each other in a variety of settings, such as lunches, breakfasts and other informal get-togethers. No formal business is conducted at these gatherings. The idea is to build collegiality and camaraderie among Academy members. The Historian maintains the history of the Academy, including a complete list of members and former officers. The Historian also records and helps publicize the Academy's activities through photographs and written accounts.