Elissa Cutter, Ph.D., Georgian Court University

Who was your favorite elementary and/or high school teacher? Why?

I have fond memories of two teachers—Mrs. Vanasse, who taught math and science during my middle school years, and Mr. Banta, who was my high school Latin teacher. Both of these teachers brought their energy and enthusiasm and humor to the classroom, making the topics both exciting and real. I had the opportunity to travel to Europe twice with Mr. Banta—once on a tour of Italy and once on a tour of Greece—which sparked my interest in travel and European history.

What do you love about teaching?

I love the moment when students make a connection between what we are discussing and their own world and beliefs. I recently had a great moment in my Social Justice Ethics class, where we were talking about the preferential option for the poor and I got the student to think about how we might actually make change in the world. We discussed their prior educational experiences and what they are led to think about the purpose of education, contrasting the "get a job and take care of myself" mentality with the "become a good citizen and care for others" mentality that appears in the texts that we were discussing. Students were excited and engaged with the ideas and how they connect to what is happening in today's society. Their excitement reinforces my own hope for the world.

Name a thing that you have learned from your students recently.

I appreciate getting new groups of students every year and semester and seeing what their ideas and outlook is of the world. As I get older, it is easier for me to become jaded about everything that is going on in the world today. In my classes, I ask the students to engage with the texts and express their own ideas and interpretations and I am often impressed with the ideas that students point out that I would never have considered before. I try to reinforce with them in this way that their perspectives and their ideas matter—that I care more about what they think than what the internet or AI thinks about the text we are discussing.

What is your favorite location to grade or do course prep?

We got a new couch in our guest bedroom, and I have taken over that space to do a lot of grading and course preparation. I set myself up in there with a cup of tea and my laptop. If I sit with my back to where the computer is plugged in, I can also look right out the window into the backyard, which makes it peaceful. That said, throughout the winter I've moved into the bedroom where I can stay warm with an electric blanket while I do my work.

Describe your favorite shoes to wear while teaching.

I change the shoes I wear almost every day, but my favorites are always the ones that will be comfortable. Since it's gotten warmer and sunnier, I've started taking a walk around campus before I eat lunch, so ballet flats in a variety of colors have become my go-to choice.