People Type: Teaching Mentor

Rachel (she/her/hers) is a PhD student in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies. Her favorite courses to teach include Classical Mythology and courses on Greek and Roman culture, which offer rich opportunities for students to explore the ancient world in creative and meaningful ways. Her teaching emphasizes making the ancient world more approachable, often through interactive activities, visual materials, and visits to campus collections such as the Chazen Museum of Art. She aims to cultivate thoughtful analysis and creative approaches that challenge the ways students interact with the world around them.

As an undergraduate, Benjamin began teaching introductory courses in physics. Since matriculating as a graduate student in the Department of Physics, Benjamin has continued to teach a wide range of courses, from courses emphasizing experimental laboratory skills to courses with a theoretical flavor. His approach blends connecting with students with breaking down complicated subjects, such that students can connect with the material in the context of their own experiences. He believes that learning physics is just as much about learning how to troubleshoot and make mistakes safely as it is about getting the right answer. Ultimately, his favorite part of teaching is helping to take the intimidation factor out of physics and watching students gain confidence in their own abilities.

Marissa loves the dynamics of teaching whether in a classroom, outside enjoying a burst of spring, or visiting Special Collections and the Chazen Museum of Art. Her approach is best described as interactive and student-centered. Over the past ten years, she has taught middle school, high school, and undergraduate students and a variety of subjects – Latin and composition among her favorite subjects to teach. She also loves being outdoors with her two dogs, Korra and Asami, and she is currently obsessed with young adult literature.

Keira is a PhD student studying Spanish linguistics, following a master’s here in Madison. She graduated with a degree in Spanish Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and subsequently student-taught high school Spanish. She then spent 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. It was an amazing year full of folklore dancing, eating far too much dulce de leche, and teaching English to students from kindergarten through university. During her three years of teaching in Madison, she has taught Spanish at levels from beginner through advanced. She has also been a teacher and regional coordinator for K-12 students through the Migrant Education Program. Keira focuses on engaging learners through interactive and movement-based lessons. ¡Vamos!

Sam is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and has been teaching for Physics 202, a course for engineering major undergraduates that focuses on electricity, magnetism, and optics, since arriving in Madison. Sam also taught for a similar course as an undergraduate at Saint Louis University. In this role, he leads both discussions, which focus on problem solving, and labs, which provide hands-on experience with the concepts being taught. Physics can be an overwhelming subject, so Sam tries to distill the material into manageable chunks for the students, emphasizing the broader concepts underlying the formulas students use and drawing explicit connections between parts of the curricula. This is meant to develop the dynamic problem solving skills students need when encountering problems they have not seen before.

Austin is a sixth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics, specializing in Econometrics. He began teaching in high school as a tutor in the Stay-in-School math program, supporting students who benefited from additional one-on-one instruction outside the classroom. As an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming, he worked as a tutor at the Center for Assistance with Statistics & Mathematics and served as a TA for undergraduate mathematics courses. Since beginning graduate school, he has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses, most recently as an adjunct instructor for business statistics at UW–Whitewater and a student lecturer for machine learning for economists at the undergraduate and master’s levels at UW–Madison. Austin’s teaching emphasizes independent thought, curiosity, and collaboration. He aims to help students move beyond rote memorization and develop lasting economic intuition.

Shaneya began her teaching career in Sri Lanka, where she worked as a Teaching Assistant for two years, supporting laboratory curricula of Introductory Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Microbiology and Biosystems Technology at her home university. She later served as a Teaching Assistant for Introductory Biology at UW-Madison for four semesters, where she was introduced to a novel student-cantered teaching culture that inspired her to grow even further as a teacher and find and refine my own style of teaching. She is particularly passionate about teaching laboratory components of introductory biology. Shaneya finds it deeply rewarding to be able to spark curiosity and inspiration earlier on in undergraduates’ scientific journeys, where they first learn in depth about how living systems work. To be able to foster that appreciation and understanding about the biological world around us, through hands on practical work is especially meaningful to her. As a teacher, Shaneya always tries to present the material as clearly and as easily as possible and create a collaborative lab environment where students feel encouraged to ask questions, be curious, think critically, and actively engage in the learning process.

Teaching became an important part of Kyle’s life in high school when they taught ballet to toddlers. In college they majored in Education and worked for three years in the Vassar College Writing Center, developing a love for mixing the history and sociology of education with on-the-ground pedagogy. They have been teaching at UW-Madison for three years to both undergraduate students and men incarcerated at a nearby prison. They are especially excited about developing students’ intellectual curiosity and empowering them to think deeply together about why history matters. Kyle believes that this is best done in a supportive intellectual community and has worked to nurture collaborative and generous classrooms.