My teaching philosophy
Freire (2000) called us to have the courage to love and see education as a liberatory act of love. This love is not a passive emotion but an active practice (hooks, 2000)... We see acts of love and a pedagogy of love as interchangeable with solidarity... In other words, to be in solidarity with someone is to engage in actions that seek to redress issues of oppression in the classroom and across the world. Solidarity is an act of love and calls us to embrace a pedagogy of love.
Flores & Román Alfaro (2022)
Flores & Román Alfaro (2022)
My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that higher education should cultivate socially responsible citizens who are autonomous, reflexive, and committed to equity. I aim to provide students with tools and strategies to engage in self-directed, critical learning, helping them understand themselves and others within broader social structures.
I foster creativity and collaboration by designing courses as collective endeavors, where students analyze real-world case studies and work together to explore complex social issues. These experiences connect classroom learning to community challenges and cultivate critical engagement.
Equity is central to my practice. I center the work of scholars and communities historically marginalized in higher education, incorporate diverse learning materials, and design assignments that recognize multiple forms of knowledge and expression.
By integrating autonomy, collaboration, and equity, I prepare students to engage ethically with diverse communities, translate sociological and criminological theory into practice, and contribute thoughtfully to more just social institutions.
I foster creativity and collaboration by designing courses as collective endeavors, where students analyze real-world case studies and work together to explore complex social issues. These experiences connect classroom learning to community challenges and cultivate critical engagement.
Equity is central to my practice. I center the work of scholars and communities historically marginalized in higher education, incorporate diverse learning materials, and design assignments that recognize multiple forms of knowledge and expression.
By integrating autonomy, collaboration, and equity, I prepare students to engage ethically with diverse communities, translate sociological and criminological theory into practice, and contribute thoughtfully to more just social institutions.