T
EACHING
S
TATEMENT
Ryan Farrell
I see an educator’s mission comprising at least three roles: an
instructor
who radiates enthusiasm; a
scholar
who fosters an environment of discovery; and a
mentor
who helps others to reach their potential.
This tri-fold
view of education has been shaped and refined through diverse experiences, both formal and informal, and in
settings ranging from academic to personal .
I
NSTRUCTION
Various experiences have molded both my motives and approach to teaching.
I have had many exemplary
instructors over the course of my education who, through their dynamic teaching, instilled in me excitement
for their respective subjects.
During the first two years of my graduate studies at the University of Maryland,
I
led
discussion
and
lab
sections
for
freshmen
computer
science
majors.
This
experience
provided
me
the
chance
to
teach
programming
fundamentals
with
enthusiasm
and
clarity.
At
Maryland,
I
also
served
for
two
terms
on
the
Computer
Science
Department’s
Education
Committee,
comprising
the
faculty
and
four
voting
students
elected
by
their
peers.
Being
involved
in
decisions
such
as
restructuring
curriculum
and
course requirements afforded me a broader perspective of high-level educational goals and objectives.
These
experiences
have
kindled
in
me
the
aspiration to teach both the foundational principles of computer science
and also more advanced and specialized topics. Another exciting opportunity for teachers today is the growing
trend toward online courses.
These courses, particularly MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), present an
exciting channel through which instructors can influence and perhaps even have a socioeconomic impact on
vast numbers of those who would otherwise be out of reach.
S
CHOLARSHIP
In
my
eyes,
one
of
the
greatest
ways
that
an
educator
can
inspire
students
is
to
give
them
open-ended
opportunities to explore and to discover.
When I reflect upon my own education, I recall few of the thousands
of
worksheets,
essays
and
problem
sets
that
I
completed.
What
I
remember
clearly
are
my
projects,
where
instead
of
a
right
or
wrong
answer
there
was
a
chance
to
explore
and
follow
my
curiosity.
These
open-
ended
ventures
built
and
challenged
my
techinical
skills.
As
I
continue
to
undertake
such
projects
in
my
ongoing
research
and
collaborations,
I
still
feel
the
rich
joy
found
in
discovery.
I
will
seek
to
cultivate
this
feeling in my students with both focused projects that develop their technical abilities and student-proposed
research projects.
As students demonstrate both interest and initiative in research, I will strive to provide them
opportunity
and
direction
to
carry
that
curiosity
forward.
Of
particular
interest
are
projects
which
have
the
potential to postively influence or impact society.
M
ENTORING
Where
formal
teaching
is
largely
an
exchange
of
information
enabling
a
student
to
do
or
to
perform,
I
believe
that
mentoring
is
about
sharing
experience
and
preparing
someone
to
make
decisions
and
achieve
their
potential.
I
have
been
very
fortunate
to
have had
mentors who
coached and
encouraged me,
fortifying
my
ability
to
make
good
career
decisions
and
become
an
effective
scientist.
I
have
relished
opportunities
to
do
likewise
and
be
an
effective
mentor.
As
I
matured
during
graduate
school,
I
always
enjoyed
sitting
at
a
whiteboard
and
sharing
technical
concepts
with
a
junior
student,
but
also
delighted
in
recounting
helpful
experiences that I (or others) had previously.
While I eagerly seek such opportunities in my current research
collaborations,
one
ongoing
relationship
outside
of
research
has
shaped
a
significant
part
of
my
perspective
on mentoring.
1
Serving as a youth leader at church, I spent time with several young men, teaching on Sunday and doing
sports
and
other
activities
with
them
during
the
week.
I
got
to
know
one
of
them
particularly
well.
He
had
been raised by a single mother,
a refugee,
who worked hard just to maintain a minimum wage job.
As with
many
his
age
and
in
his
circumstances,
he
dreamed
of
being
a
pro
athlete,
a
basketball
star
in
his
case.
My
wife and I got to know him over a couple of years time and, as it came time to think about his future after high
school, we were able to expand his perspective beyond what he had experienced in his own upbringing.
We
helped him to select potential schools,
complete college applications and a personal statement,
and to apply
for financial aid.
Today, he has just his final year of coursework before graduating as a business major.
As I
talk and write to him and see how much he continues to grow, it provides me with great satisfaction.
We know
that we didn’t accomplish all this for him.
Rather, as we shared our experience and perspective with him, we
led
him
to
a
new
road,
gave
him
tools
to
achieve,
and
prepared
him
to
make
decisions
that
will
enable
him
to become something great.
This has greatly shaped my vision of the type of mentor that I want to be,
both
inside and outside of the classroom.
C
ONCLUSION
To
conclude,
I
return
to
my
belief
that
being
an
effective
educator
comprises
the
roles
of
instruction,
scholarship and mentoring.
In my life’s work as a teacher, I will endeavor to teach by radiating excitement,
intuition
and
perspective.
I
will
strive
both
to
exemplify
and
encourage
lifelong
scholarship.
I
will
seek
to
share
helpful
experiences
and
perspective,
helping
prepare
those
I
mentor
to
make
decisions
that
will
help
them become the best at whatever they choose to do.
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