As a college freshman, I was fresh off the heels of an event that resulted in a traumatic brain injury localized in my left frontal lobe (traditionally regarded as the language center). My teaching philosophy is heavily informed by my experiences of not having the physical ability to write, to hold a pencil, or to form letters. Therefore, my commitment to the principles of Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) forms the core of my identity as a writing teacher. I know that every college student can learn to write, but I also know that not all of them can learn in traditional environments.
To address this need, I have started to reframe UD and UDL as “Imaginative Design” for learning, which is intentionally imaginative, pushing the design of learning environments beyond all bodies and minds, to all bodies and minds that can be imagined, and even those we cannot yet conceive. This means creating accessible spaces, administering content and accepting work in multiple modalities, and perhaps most importantly, being flexible. Flexibility is paramount to my identity as a writing teacher. It is most identifiable in my interpersonal interactions with students, but also in my being unafraid to shift gears in a daily lesson depending on student needs, the “early and often” approach I have to peer review, and the fact that, in face-to-face classes, I provide detailed and engaging slides on the LMS, helping all students including those who, like me, may be unable to take notes.
Compassion and empathy are also central to my pedagogical approach. This does not mean giving students a free pass because they had a bad day. Engaging in these practices is a critical exercise: It involves the emotional endeavor of having compassion as well as the intellectual endeavor of taking a different perspective (Davis 1994). Practically in the classroom, this means making myself available as much as possible, conveying that all questions are valid, and granting extensions for any reason as long as the student communicates with me. To effectively use empathy and compassion as pedagogical tools, instructors should be engaged and responsive, as echoed by bell hooks (1994): “To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin” (p. 13).
Part of being empathetic is being aware of the barriers that may hinder the success of others; I also try to teach this to my students. One of the most impactful assignments in my writing courses is the Gatekeeping Analysis Essay, which challenges students to critically examine barriers to access within social, academic, or cultural groups. This assignment asks students to identify explicit and implicit obstacles that shape participation, whether through institutional policies, physical space, financial costs, social norms, or other gatekeeping mechanisms. By integrating observation, spatial analysis, and intersectional critique, students develop a deeper understanding of how exclusion operates and how writing can be a tool for both analysis and advocacy. This project reinforces my commitment to fostering critical thinking, accessibility, and engagement with real-world issues. Writing is not just about personal expression; it is a tool for interrogating power and reshaping the structures that shape our lives
My teaching philosophy remains consistent across modalities. I strongly believe in translating teacher- student engagement into an online modality. The sacred space of the workshop can be recreated online provided instructor participation is high. Although online teaching is not my preferred modality, I have over five years of experience and take great care in making pre-designed courses my own, even going so far as making blooper reels of my failed video announcements. I recognize that teaching, like the art of letters itself, is not static; I push myself to continually improve my instruction.
My current title is “Lecturer,” but I’ve lately regarded the name as a misnomer, since I hardly lecture at all. I eschew the “banking” model of education as identified by Paolo Freire (2009), agreeing that “knowledge emerges only through invention and reinvention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world” (p. 164). My daily activities usually focus on freewriting, pair and group work, or other activities that allow my students to discover, create, and teach me and others something new. I am fully aware of the fact that I have much to learn from my students, just as they have much to learn from me. While maintaining boundaries and classroom authority, this facet of my teaching philosophy allows for an environment of openness and mutual respect.
Writing creates knowledge.
I learned that myself when I started college with the language abilities of a fifth-grader. I credit my aptitude in math for the reason that I got to go to college in the first place, but when I realized that it was writing that was giving me the knowledge I so desperately sought, I changed course. These experiences give me immense passion for, and faith in, what I teach. And as many students have indicated in my formal evaluations, my passion “is contagious.” All of this fuels my deep belief in the transformative power of writing—not just for me and students like me, but for all students.
References
Davis, M. H. (1994). Empathy: A social psychological approach. Westview Press.
Freire, P., Ramos, M. B., & Macedo, D. (2014). Pedagogy of the oppressed (Thirtieth anniversary edition.).hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.