Teacher spotlight on Julie Lazzara

I encourage students to grow in my classroom. At the beginning of the semester, I ask them where they are now and have them reevaluate at the end of the semester. I tell them that learning is supposed to be challenging. I model growth by sharing my own professional development in what I read and the workshops that I attend. I hope they are able to see my love for learning and for psychology. I encourage feedback from my students mid-class and at the end of the semester so my teaching can improve. I strive to be a better teacher and for my students to be better learners. One of my favorite parts of teaching is that I can continue to grow and learn to be better for my students each semester. Each semester is a new opportunity to improve myself and share my passion with a new set of students. I want my classroom to be a place where students can experience something they cannot replicate if they were learning by themselves at home. Hopefully, they get their money’s worth when they take my class! I have an important job and a unique opportunity to give students the most critical takeaway messages in psychology.

I tell my students that my job is my dream job. I have the privilege of sharing the subject that gives me passion with new groups of inspiring students each semester. Most of my students are not psychology majors, and my class may be the only experience they have within the field of psychology. My goal is to give them the most relevant information that they can take with them to apply to their future major and career. I also want students to think about concepts in ways that they have never thought of before. I want them to ask questions and challenge a past way of thinking. In one of my first classes, I ask students to consider, “How do you know what you know?” This is an excellent start to a lively discussion and introduction to critical thinking. I love when my students tell me that they continue the discussions we have in class with their own friends and family.

Each semester my hope is that my class will become a community (even the online classes). I foster this goal by giving each student a voice in my classroom. Each class period, they engage in hands-on group activities and are paired with different people. I assign group projects and activities because working with others is an important skill to have in the workforce. Even though I have taught the same class many times, it never gets old because each community is different. Each student brings their own experiences and perspectives to the class, shaping how the class will evolve and flow for the semester. Every person has a story, including my students. I believe that students can learn from me; however, I also learn from them and they learn from each other.

One of the best parts of teaching at a community college is giving access to college education to everyone, including nontraditional students. One of the most memorable moments in my teaching career includes one of my most memorable students. An integral part of my class one semester was a woman who had started college in her seventies to receive her associate's degree. She was an active part of our class and became friends with several other students of various backgrounds and ages. My class was one of the last classes that she needed to graduate. Her husband was very supportive of her throughout her journey and was proud of her accomplishments. His health was declining, and she wanted to make sure that he would be able to be a part of her graduation. Our administration set up an early commencement ceremony so that her husband could attend. I was flattered that she asked me to be a part of it as well. We honored her, equipped with our regalia, in the comfort of her home. She inspired us to remember that you are never too old to learn and accomplish your goals. It was also a reminder of the beauty and power that a graduation ceremony can have in a student's life. It is such a privilege to experience this rite of passage with students year after year.