As children, we dream of what we would like to be when we grow up, sometimes it’s an astronaut or a veterinarian, but for Grace Therrell, it has always been to be a teacher. That passion grew as Therrell attended college, working as a Teaching Assistant for one of her literature professors. Developing both her love for teaching and literature, she came to UT as a librarian to continue working with students, specifically with their individual academic research.
Therrell’s love for the students that she supports radiates through her approach that these students are “people first, students second.” She considers herself as a “student-centered educator”. She recognizes that research can be overwhelming and stressful at times, which is why she implements strategies such as inviting her students to take pieces from their individual experiences and use those points to draw on during their academic research. Many times this approach has resulted in gratitude from her students, which only boosts Therrell’s moral, as working with these students is the favorite part of her job.
A year or so ago, Therrell began to pinpoint her own bias and expectations towards her students, an incredibly difficult feat many times, during a seminar she taught for the Office of First-Year Programs. The class was on social media, and Therrell got to sit in and listen to the student’s opinions and feedback, something she says has made her a more flexible and empathetic instructor. Being able to recognize her previous approaches to teaching allowed Therrell to reflect on the future of teaching and learning, specifically allowing students to learn in ways that they feel heard and seen.
She goes on to say:
“There’s a line in the introduction of Teaching to Transgress where bell hooks says, The engaged voice must never be fixed and absolute but always changing, always evolving in dialogue with a world beyond itself. I want to help students develop their own engaged voices, but I’d also like faculty to work together to continue developing our engaged voices. I think good teaching necessitates engagement from teachers and students, and I’m hopeful we can all work together to grow this in each other.”
Therrell continues to showcase her generosity, as she recently collaborated with TLI’s own Chris Kilgore to put together our Scholarship of Teaching & Learning summer program, SoTL Funding Support.