I got my bachelors degree from San Diego State University. I thought I would be a high school English teacher, but I fell in love in linguistics and had encouraging professors, so I went into a doctoral program in Linguistics and Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego. While I loved the content, I was disheartened by the instruction. It was clear that the instructors had never learned any principals of adult learning. While they knew the content backward and forward, they didnt know how to connect with the students and make it relate to the real world. It was a research university and had a 75-85% attrition rate for my program.
At the same time, I was teaching writing on campus for one of the best mentors Ive ever had. I was excelling as an instructor and struggling with my own department, so I left the program.
I went through a series of career transitions including marketing (which is basically teaching people what you want them to think about something) and technical writing (which is translating complex information into digestible nuggets) and I realized once again that I was most fulfilled as an educator.
I went back for my masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (which meant that my background in linguistics was being put to a practical purpose!) and have stayed in the education system for the rest of my career so far. Most recently, I was managing over $20 million in federal and state grants for adult education, which included helping adults train for careers. I think I am most proud of overseeing the creation of Colorados first in-person adult high school diploma program for students over 21-years-of-age who were unable to complete their diploma through their school districts, giving adults an alternative to a GED and when those learners finished their high school diplomas, they also left with significant career training that supported their goals.
My educational philosophy is grounded in theory and experience and speaks to my desire for education to be practical and relatable. It is essential to meet learners where they are, meaning, not everyone comes to the table with the same experiences, so I always try to find out where they are starting and work to tailor instruction to get them from their point A to point B.
One of the best things about teaching adults is they have tons of real experience, and that experience can by used to make connections to what you want them to learn. Using that strategy makes the information more understandable and relevant to their goals.
The other great thing about teaching adults is that they are self-motivated. Most learners between the ages of 3 and 21 are in school for reasons that may not be their own, like compulsory attendance or to stay on their parents medical insurance. But, adults who choose to extend their education to further their careers are motivated, and that makes them so much more fun to teach. I hope to impart instructors with practical ideas to implement in their instruction for ASFMRA.