Nominated, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, 2006

Teaching Philosophy
Courses Taught

Teaching Philosophy

Personal Reflections on my Chosen Career

My love of teaching centers around several issues: the students themselves, my desire to make a difference in life, and my own love of learning. I am a "people person" and enjoy interacting with students. I also firmly believe that learning is the responsibility of both students and teachers. To me, the line blurs between the student and teacher in truly inspired teaching. Each of us has the capacity to teach others and we should be open to the opportunity to become students, even for brief periods of time.

In learning you will teach and in teaching you will learn.

My goal is to get my students actively engaged in their own learning, moving away from the passive climate of note-taking to one of active involvement and investigation. I try to create a classroom experience in which students are "self-motivated." I am convinced that students sense enthusiasm and sincere belief in their instructor. Instructor enthusiasm is one of the most potent tools we have and it is catching!

As Horace Mann once said, "A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron."

My family taught me that good teachers challenge, prepare, and mold their students. I believe it is important to set high standards in the classroom, to challenge students to define their own belief systems, establish productive work habits, and care about the professionalism they project as business students. I feel that most students appreciate my efforts in demanding (and requiring them to demand of themselves) the best they have to offer. Teaching is a career in which we can truly make a difference in the lives of others.

What greater blessing can anyone of us ask for than the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of young people?

Courses Taught *

B ADM 502: Demand, Operations, and Firm Performance (Spring 2008) (Spring 2009)

B ADM 597A: Consumer Behavior (Fall 2005)

B ADM 597E:  Consumer Behavior (Fall 2006)

MKTG 327 (formerly MRKTG 400): Retailing Management (Spring 2002) (Fall 2002) (Fall 2003) (Fall 2004) (Fall 2005) (Fall 2006) (Fall 2007) (Fall 2008)

MRKTG 300: Principles of Marketing

MKTG 330 (formerly MRKTG 320): Consumer Behavior (Spring 2002) (Spring 2003) (Spring 2004) (Spring 2006) (Spring 2007) (Spring 2008) (Spring 2009)

MRKTG 495: Internship

MRKTG 496: Independent Studies

MRKTG 501: Marketing

MRKTG 531: Consumer Behavior

PSU 007: Behrend First Year Seminar (Fall 2002)

* Syllabi are only available online for four semesters. Visit the School of Business for copies of others.