Picture a Professor

Jessamyn Neuhaus is a professor of history and Center for Teaching Excellence director at SUNY Plattsburgh. Recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, she is the author of two historical monographs, numerous articles, and Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers.

“Raising awareness of challenges diverse instructors can face when teaching in higher ed classrooms and sharing empowering and tested solutions are both much needed. Picture a Professor does both and more. Grounded in the experiences of scholars teaching in the classroom, the book is a valuable resource for instructors, administrators, those responsible for promotion and tenure decisions, and educational developers partnering with a diverse faculty. Much praise to Jessamyn Neuhaus and chapter authors for addressing the often undiscussed truth that not all instructors who teach are afforded the same privileges.”- Tracie Marcella Addy, coauthor of What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching“In this collection, the authors weave scholarship, personal narratives, and practical teaching ideas into an intersectional call to action that, when reflectively implemented, will positively transform our college classrooms for years to come.”Travis Thurston, coeditor of Resilient Pedagogy: Practical Teaching Strategies to Overcome Distance, Disruption, and Distraction

• Introduction: Embodied Identity, Empowering Pedagogy, and Transformative LearningJessamyn NeuhausPart OneThe First Day: Strategies for Starting Strong1. How Blind Professors Win the First Day: Setting Ourselves Up for SuccessSheri Wells-Jensen, Emily K. Michael, and Mona Minkara2. Critical Reflexivity as a Tool for Students Learning to Recognize Biases: A First Day of Class Conversation on What a Professor Looks LikeJesica Siham FernÁndez3. Commonalities and Research: A One-Two Punch to Combat STEM Fears and Biases on the First Day of ClassKelly E. Theisen4. Where’s the Professor? First-Day Active Learning for Navigating Students’ Perceptions of Young ProfessorsReba WissnerPart TwoMaking Connections: Strategies for Building Trust and Rapport with Students5. Using Experiential Learning to Humanize Course Content and Connect with StudentsBreanna Boppre6. Collaborative Rubric Creation as a Queer, Transgender Professor’s Tactic for Building Trust in the ClassroomFen Kennedy7. Reflect to Deflect: Using Metacognitive Activities to Address Student Perceptions of Instructor Competence and CaringMelissa Eblen-Zayas8. From Absentminded Professor to Epistemic Collaborator: Reframing Academic Expertise through Vulnerability and MetacognitionRebecca Scott9. Black Man in a Strange Land: Using Principles of Psychology and Behavior Science to Thrive in the ClassroomErik SimmonsPart ThreeAnti-Racist Pedagogies: Strategies for Increasing Equity10. Beyond Making Statements: The Reflective Practice of Becoming an Anti-Racist EducatorM. Gabriela Torres11. Rippling the Patterns of Power: Enacting Anti-Racist Pedagogy with Students as Co-teachersChanelle Wilson and Alison Cook-Sather12. Beyond “Good Writing”: Enacting Anti-Racist Policies in Academic WritingJacinta Yanders and Ashley JoEttaPart FourTeaching with Our Whole Selves: Strategies for Instructional Authenticity and Pedagogical/Professional Success13. The Superpowers of Visual Ambiguity: Transfiguring My Experience of Colorism and Multiheritage Identity for Educational GoodDonna Mejia14. Sharing Our Stories to Build Community, Highlight Bias, and Address Challenges to AuthoritySarah Mayes-Tang15. Teaching Up: Bringing My Blackness into the ClassroomCeleste Atkins16. Empowered Strategies for Women Faculty of Color Navigating Teaching Inequities in Higher EdChavella T. PittmanIndex