Wellbeing

Tell us about your course. 

I teach multiple courses that satisfy core requirements in the Sustainable Food & Farming Major in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. My average course size is 20-25, and I also offer smaller experiential learning-based practicum courses. All courses include discussion, abundant participatory exercises, and community engagement opportunities. In addition, I offer 3 Sustainable Food & Farming courses per year online through UWW.

What specific practices do you use to ensure student wellbeing in your classes? 

To me, wellbeing includes a holistic approach to caring for and building community with students. I strive to integrate and prioritize wellbeing in the design of my courses, objectives, and activities. I want students to feel a sense of belonging, purpose, and engagement in the work we do. Some examples of what this looks like in action: fostering community through a range of activities and approaches including beginning class with a centering exercise (like a breath or gentle movement), co-creating group agreements for how we operate as a class community, and drawing inspiration from bell hooks bringing my “whole self” to my classroom and modeling vulnerability I hope to see from them.  I invite students to share in the leadership roles of class when possible which invites a sense of community and purpose.

Additionally, my weekly assignments include a lot of detail, include a variety of multimedia content, and make clear what is expected of students and how it fits into the larger mission of the course.  I offer abundant opportunities for course feedback, self evaluation, and peer feedback. A lot of these practices might seem basic, but the integration of all these simple tactics make a huge difference.

How do you know when your practices are working? 

One of the biggest indicators students are engaged and feel belonging is near-perfect attendance in most classes.  Even though I do not directly grade attendance, I emphasize that the quality of their presence in class impacts their reflections and written work. It is exciting when students show up and there is a felt sense of shared responsibility to make class engaging and when their written work demonstrates growing awareness and critical reflection with the prompts. Valuing the process as much as the outcome is a pillar of experiential learning, and while it is tricky to quantify, I strive to create assignments and activities that invite students to take risks and grow their capacity to behold and articulate complexity.

What do you love most about teaching?

Collaborations are essential to me; I love working with undergraduate students as TAs almost like co-teachers. I also am a part of different committees and groups like the School of Earth and Sustainability and CTL’s Contemplative Pedagogy Working Group and these projects and people have a huge impact on my sense of belonging and, therefore, my teaching. While collaborations take more time, I feel more fulfilled because I can explicitly lean into and delight in the creative aspects of teaching and life itself. 
I love the emergent nature of discussions, being on the receiving end of my students’ leadership, and the rich connections made both in the classroom and the field. Seeing students engage in their local communities and building mutually beneficial relationships is also a really meaningful part of teaching. Students study Sustainable Food and Farming because they are invested in co-creating the change they want to see in this world…I’m so fortunate!