To celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week this year, our Undergraduate Student Ambassadors Anisah Spahn and Hannah Rieder interviewed CU Boulder professors to learn what inspires them, what advice they'd give to new teachers, and what they like about living in Colorado. They interviewed School of Education Professor Melissa Braaten and Department of Mathematics Professor Faan Tone Liu.
What are three things that inspire your teaching?
"Three things that inspire my teaching are the kids and teachers that I hang out with each week. Being able to see what’s possible in local classrooms really motivates what I do. Also, my own memories of students and the successes we had as a community. Seeing where they are now, as I stay in touch with a lot of my own students, that’s probably the second big thing that inspires my teaching. Also, I learn a lot from my colleagues in the School of Education too. Hearing each week what’s going on in other peoples classes jumpstarts my thinking about my own teaching." — Melissa Braaten
Professor Liu is inspired by seeing her students develop as people because of their engagement with the content. She likes setting learning goals beyond the content and seeing students reach those goals. These goals could have to do with problem solving, developing the ability to see the broader picture, confidence in their work, cognitive and metacognitive development. She also likes students to recognize that failure is part of the growth process and be willing to fail.
What’s a piece of advice you’d give to a future teacher?
"A piece of advice to a future teacher is to always be learning. Whether that’s learning subject matter or learning about kids or community, learning about yourself — just always be learning." — Melissa Braaten
For teachers going into their first year, Professor Liu's advice is:
- You have to scavenge materials such as lesson plans, it will be hard to come up with everything on your own your first year.
- You have to learn how to manage your time — sometimes you won't have enough time to twiddle something (like a lesson plan) that's good enough to make it perfect
- Make sure to spend time on Task Selection — what exactly are you asking students to do?'
What’s your favorite part about living in Colorado? What is your favorite Colorado summer activity?
"I love living in Colorado. I’m an outdoors person so I love being moments away from a hike or a bike pretty much year round." — Melissa Braaten
Professor Liu's favorite thing to do in the summer is to garden. She likes planting things that thrive in the Colorado climate!