Educational Philosophy

Education is powerful when there is a community that surrounds and supports the learner. I’m fortunate to have that community and try to invite its presence in all of my courses. As a teacher/learner, I see myself as a shaman of sorts. The magic I work with allows me to enter the sacred space of the classroom and invite students to join me as together we reflect, reclaim, rethink, recover, and reveal what is of most value--what can stir the cauldron of creativity, joy, and bliss in the direction of engagement and greatest good.

Educational Background

Masters in Arts in English

University of Miami, 1992

Bachelors of Science in Social Studies

Florida International University, 1988

Professional Development

Center for Formation in the Community College (Dallas), October 2003

Center for Formation in the Community

College Retreat (Taos), May 2003

Bioneers Conference, San Rafael, California,

October 2002

Honors College Faculty Retreat, January

February, 2002

Project Citizen (Center for Community

Involvement), October 2001

ToolBook Assistant Training, CT&D, June 2001

Earth Spirit Rising Conference, Louisville,

Kentucky, June 2001

Web Course Tools and Techniques, Florida

International University, August -December

2000

Service Learning and Diversity Conference,

November 1998

Presentations

Instituto de Estudios Cubanos, Earth Ethics

and Cuban Environmental Policy, June 2004

Iowa Western Community College, Service

Learning Master Teacher Workshop, June 2004

League for Innovations, Healing Spirit,Mind,

and Community, March 2004

WXEL (PBS), spirituality and the

environment, January 2004

National Communication Association

Conference, November 2003

Conference Day Presenter, March 2003

Future Educators of America Speaker, May

2002

Honors College Breakfast Presenter, March

2002

Conference Day Presenter (Earthly Eros:

Loving the Earth, Loving Our Story),March

2002

Service-Learning Workshop with Dr. Edward

Zlotkowski (Helped organize and promote at

the InterAmerican Campus), November 2001

College Training and Development Open House

Presenter, September 2001

Earth Literacy Leadership Conference

Presenter, Knoxville, Tennessee, March 2001

Conference Day Presenter (Discussion Boards,

Chat Rooms, and E-Mail: WebCt in the Writing

Class), March 2001

Green Studies Presenter, March 2001-Present

Service

Faculty Service-Learning Campus Coordinator,

2002-Present

Service-Learning Self-Assessment Team

Member, January 2002

Healing Circle Speaker/Coordinator

(InterAmerican Campus), September 2001,

2002,2003

Environmental Ethics Core Faculty, Fall

1999- Present

Awards

Endowed Teaching Chair

Learning Innovations Grant to develop a

service-learning learning community

impacting over 80 students per semester.

Learning Innovations Grant to develop a

service-leadership component for students in

my composition courses.

HETS/LAPP Award to develop an on-line LIT

2120 course for M-DC and other HETS members

Courses Taught

ENC 0002: College Prep Writing I

ENC 0020: College Prep Writing II

ENC 0021: College Prep Writing III

 ENC 1101: College Writing Composition I

ENC 1102: College Writing Composition II

LIT 2120: Survey of World Literature