Jenelle Bayus
May 4 – 8 is Teacher Appreciation Week and Hiram College is proud to recognize the sustained and dedicated efforts of our faculty to inspire and drive student success. Every day this week, the College will feature a different faculty member from each school.
Today, read more about Kelly NewVine, Ph.D., an associate professor of education in the College’s School of Education, Civic Leadership, and Social Change.
WHY DID YOU BECOME AN EDUCATOR?
My background is teaching and I always wanted to teach at the collegiate level. I taught students who were in residential treatment programs for mental health and addiction issues and I felt unprepared as an educator to teach students with the multitude of things they were dealing with outside the classroom. Because of that, I decided to go to school for Educational Psychology with the goal of teaching future educators. Hiram is similar to the school I attended for my undergraduate degree and I always loved the community feeling and small class sizes at that school. I felt like professors genuinely cared about my success in and out of school. I wanted to be able to support students in a similar environment and Hiram embodies the community feeling, support, and family I wanted to be a part of in my own teaching.
TALK ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE COURSES TO TEACH.
I teach a variety of courses from Education, Culture & Society to Integrated Social Studies Methods for licensure students. I say every class is my favorite to teach because I get to work with different content for each class and meet new students or get to know students better if I’ve had them in a previous course. My passion is teaching about educational psychology, so any time I can incorporate those concepts into a class, it’s my favorite.
TELL US ABOUT SOMEONE WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOU AS A TEACHER.
My dad worked in higher education for a long time and I grew up going to work with him and attending events at that college. He taught me about the impact someone in higher education can have on the learners at the school and how one person can truly make a difference in the life of a student. He also taught me to never stop learning. Even in retirement, my dad is still teaching me that lesson.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT TEACHING?
The students. Being able to see students grow from their first year at Hiram to the time they graduate is what I love about teaching. I also love being able to help them create their own pathway towards a career and see them succeed in whatever area they choose.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR STUDENTS ACCOMPLISH DURING THEIR TIME AT HIRAM AND BEYOND?
I hope my students love teaching and learning their own students, even if it isn’t in a traditional classroom setting. I want them to be able to share their own passion for helping others.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY DURING YOUR TEACHING CAREER.
It is really hard to choose a favorite memory, but one of the things I absolutely love is when former students come back to talk with current students during Future Fest, an event for students to explore career options. Being able to see the smile on the faces of former students as they share their successes with current students is rewarding.
