My teaching philosophy and approach is heavily informed by my personal background and professional experience. My students each bring their own ideas, constructions, priorities, and questions. In each of my classes, I spend the first weeks of the semester working with my students to cultivate a pedagogical environment that fosters differences and respectful disagreement: “Criticize ideas, not people.” I emphasize that the diversity of our experiences make us who we are, and when we share them with each other, we become more thoughtful critics, scholars, and people. I evaluate my students based on their growth as thinkers and scholars over the time of the semester and their ability to constructively engage in spoken and written debate and discussion with peers and produced material that represent ideas different from their own, in addition to the quality of their written work and other assignments. I am committed to progressive pedagogy and seek to contribute to forward-thinking academic environments.