2016 Outstanding University Graduate Student Teaching Award Winner- Doctoral I
Jeff Rients, M.A.
- M.A. in English from Illinois State University (2013)
- Graduate Instructor, Department of English
Teaching philosophy
An instructor introduces students to the complexity of the world and equips them with the tools necessary to make sense of that complexity, to appreciate it, to simplify it, and to make use of it.
My motivation to become a college professor
It is my desire to do something positive in the world, something with an impact on the future. Teaching college, a time when many young people are making brave forays into figuring out what it means to be a human being, seems like the best way for me to do something useful.
I want to continue to improve my teaching in the following ways
I want to do a better job talking about race and gender in my classroom. Too often, I write my lessons on these issues as if they were addressed to myself in the past.
The most rewarding aspect of teaching for me
Helping students connect new ideas to things they already know and understand. It’s one thing to learn new information, but it’s another thing entirely to integrate into yourself in a meaningful way.
For me, the least favorite part of teaching
I hate reporting a failing grade at the end of a semester. Students earn grades, instructors do not give them, but it always pains me when someone earns an F.
