Everybody Has a Story: The Joy of Teaching

R3 Contributor Sharon Lauricella is featured here

Inspiration comes in different forms. It can be in the form of a movie, a show, a song, or a dance. It can also come from a desire to simply make a difference. But often times, inspiration comes from the people closest to us, the people we surround ourselves with: our families, friends, and mentors. I met one of my biggest inspirations about four years ago. I was in my first year, in my first writing class in university. I was in a class called Fundamentals of Professional Writing. Contrary to my expectations of simply learning about grammar rules and communicating with businesses and organizations, the course taught me a lot more than just learning how to write. By the end of it, I discovered a lot about myself and what I wanted to do and achieve. Sharon Lauricella changed my mind not only about the course, but about life in general.

Sharon’s teaching philosophy is simple: set the framework for students but give them the freedom to play and be creative. “I believe that students thrive with a variety of pedagogical approaches and a large degree of freedom,” explains Sharon. Throughout her teaching career, the projects she proposed to students have both been challenging and enjoyable. She has asked students to introduce one another using their Facebook profiles, create blogs about any topic that comes to mind, and write fictional press releases about fantasy accomplishments. Some students wrote about being married to a celebrity, while others wrote about their actual dreams and the steps they took to achieve them. She has also asked students to participate in a “Peace Project,” in which they were asked to explore their own meaning of peace and nonviolent communication. The resulting projects varied from scrapbooks, to interactive PowerPoint, to EP albums, and even to a fundraiser event. Everyone has a creative spirit and Sharon definitely cultivates it through her teaching.
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