Contact Info
anna_3329@yahoo.com

Education
Ph.D. in Progress, The University of Texas at San Antonio
M.S., Mental Health and Guidance - New Mexico State University
B.S., Psychology, Foreign Languages, Chicano Studies - New Mexico State University

Courses Taught

Traditional
Introduction to Psychology

A Little Something About Me...
Throughout the years I have had the opportunity to focus on serving different roles associated with Student Affairs. I am currently working in Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career in teaching and research. My research interests are mostly associated with the cultural concept of familismo and the experiences of first generation college students.

My Teaching Philosophy...
The fact that I have been a student myself for most of my life has helped me develop my teaching philosophy. Although I believe that as an educator my primary responsibility is to share my knowledge with my students, there are other attributes that I believe are just as important in order to be an effective instructor.

One of the primary characteristics of a good educator is humility. Even though I am likely to be an expert in the topic I teach, it is important for me to recognize that I don’t know it all. I am aware of the fact that there will be times when my students will know more about a specific issue than I do. For those students who may at times prove to know more than me in regards to certain issues, it is my job to acknowledge that their knowledge is a great contribution to our class. My role as an educator is to encourage my students to learn, even if this knowledge is not coming directly from me. I am aware of the fact that I am human, and can’t know it all, but commit to become as educated as I can in whatever topic I teach in order to provide my students with the best opportunity to learn. In my opinion, humility can be expressed by recognizing that although I am the professor, I am still willing to learn from my students.

Just as important as humility is respect. In my opinion, in order to create a good learning environment, it is necessary for educators and students to respect each other. As an educator, I believe that I can show my students respect by demonstrating sensitivity to their needs as well as by not taking advantage of the power that has been given to me as an educator. Respecting their opinions, input, and suggestions gives students a voice, which I value. One of my biggest goals as an educator is to be approachable. I believe that showing both humility and respect to my students makes me more approachable.

Another way of showing respect to my students is to recognize the fact that they have other responsibilities outside of the classroom. Although my job as an educator is to assist in my students’ learning, I believe that the work required for the class should be both reasonable and purposeful. The expectations I have in regards to my students and their work should reflect the purpose of the class and should be attainable and realistic.

I believe that students need to be challenged during every class and because of this I am committed to finding creative ways of presenting information to my students. I believe that I should be as committed to my students as I expect my students to be to me. Although I understand that spending too much time preparing for my classes is considered a luxury in many academic departments, I strongly believe that a professor's level of preparedness and creativity demonstrated through their lesson plans is a reflection of the educator's commitment to his/her students. It is because of this that I am determined to find creative ways of presenting information and engaging my students.

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