History Professor Stylianos Spyridakis, right, admires Charles Hammond’s award certificate as the Academic Senate and Teaching Resources Center on Monday honored this year’s 15 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching awardees. Recipients are: Hammond of history, Daniel Cook, Helena Feder, Janice Hawes and J. Chris Westgate of English, Amy Henson-Badovinac of Spanish and Classics, Katrina Hopper of veterinary medicine surgical and radiological sciences, Patricia Jennings and Claire Vallotton of human and community development, Evan Preisser of evolution and ecology, Anne Salo of comparative literature, Linda Sanderson of cultural studies, Sven Schmitz of mechanical and aeronautical engineering, Stacy Tanaka of civil and environmental engineering and Chris Weible of environmental science and policy. “My teaching experience has been a journey — a journey of continual following, leading and learning to interact,” Hammond wrote in an 800-word summary of his educational goals and philosophies. The selection committee weighed nominations from faculty and students, but the nominees’ summaries also were major considerations, said Donal Walsh, chair of the committee. “This shows people they’ve really thought about their teaching. They are things faculty should be reading and saying, ‘Yes! Yes!’ to,” he said. Excerpts from the awardees' summaries are presented below:

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"Such patience is the only way I know to teach that most ineffable and necessary of literature skills -- 'critical imagination.'" -- Daniel Cook

"My philosophy of teaching is similar to the mantra of Voltaire's Candide, "We must cultivate the garden." -- Helena Feder

"To accommodate different learning styles, I try to go beyond the mainly visual tools of blackboards and overheads. By doing so, I have been facing my own fears about lack of technological expertise, but I would not have the right to urge my students to take intellectual risks, if I were not willing to do so myself." Janice Hawes

"Words have imminent power and when they are combined with sincere action they have the ability to move mountains." -- Amy Henson-Badovinac

"A teacher must strike a balance between respect and professionalism on one hand and being approachable and relaxed on the other. Developing a comfortable and fun environment can be conducive to learning, but, without a degree of respect, the students may fail to take the situation seriously enough to commit the time and effort required to gain maximum benefit from the experience." -- Katrina Hopper

"The very best teachers possess a passion for teaching, knowledge of and enthusiasm for their subject, respect and consideration for their students and strong organizational skills. They affirm excellence, and challenge, inspire and support students to achieve their very best." -- Patricia Jennings

"Good teachers are at heart performers. They know their audience's strengths and weaknesses, the importance of laughter and solemnity, and they bring others to see the world through their eyes." -- Evan Preisser

"I encourage active reading and critical thinking by asking students to argue their own points, and I maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and intellectual inquiry by encouraging divergent opinions." -- Anne Salo

"When I consider all the teachers I've had, all the hours of lectures I've absorbed or not, the subjects I learned or didn't, I realize that the teachers I consider the best possess two special qualities: They find a way to make their subjects both exciting and relevant, and they frequently use humor in the classroom." -- Linda Sanderson

"Teaching goes beyond the presentation of course material; teaching has to awaken and encourage student." -- Sven Schmitz

"Along with teaching the students the material, an instructor should also engage the students, making them want to learn." -- Stacy Tanaka

"I love the look on a student's face when he or she comes to understand something he or she did not before -- I see that look most often when students are exploring an idea, when curiosity is leading them through the process of inquiry. In these moments students are developing their own ideas, using facts and details to construct their own theories, and using logic and observation to reflect on their own ideas and confirm or disconfirm them." -- Claire Vallotton

"I use several methods to implement my teaching philosophy and goals: clear expectations; facilitate more than lecture; being prepared; developing working relationships (with students); developing the trust of students; empowering students; and setting the pace." --- Chris Weible

"My teaching philosophy draws upon Paulo Freire's "problem-posing" model of education -- that is it values and foregrounds student engagement and responsibility for their learning." -- J. Chris Westgate