“Human beings constantly generate models of their own situation, in order to orient themselves and hence function in an effective and satisfying manner within it.” Sherry B. Ortner Sherpas Through Their Rituals

As a guide, I view culture and media instruction as a right of passage for all involved. It’s my role as an established practitioner to set forth clear and articulate models. In this way, a foundation for the future exploration and innovation of each discipline is established. It is this technique that demonstrates my support of the interactive classroom in the broadest sense, where pupils are held accountable for their production. Inspired by the Sherpa’s of Himalaya my exercises provide boundaries, and framework by introducing lessons as questions. I design each one of my course’s to encompass an outcome and firmly believe it provides motivation throughout the semester by reinforcing an understanding of “work flow”. As cultural practitioners establishing strong work ethic is essential. Participation and the sharing of standards not only engage curiosity but further establish the concept of mentor-ship as one related to community. In the classroom I seek to provide a sense of security derived from information and feel this technique is essential for creative students. Passion is a vehicle and needs to be supported, nurtured and challenged with knowledge.

It is perhaps the greatest role of any instructor to challenge and assist their students in pursuit of inquiry to realize their own potential. I'm certain it's an obligation of any established professional to give back and invest in their discipline by supporting future proactive contributors with practiced experience. For it’s in today’s information saturated reality where spectators are born and concepts simplified, it’s easy to assume one’s self-learned or skilled ---mistaking headlines for scholarship. This bombardment seems to obligate an assumption of conformity. When in today’s popular social networks there is an actual potential for vast personal and social exploration. Yet for some reason the shallowness of limited interactions can be overwhelming for many curious minds in a way that renders content dull. A student of culture is no such guest of an uninteresting history but rather they’re part of it. This mass exposure is countered in my courses by presenting multiple historic and technical approaches to a singular topic at hand. This is a reinforcement of the essential role academic pursuit provides as an expansion of mundane assumptions into models of analysis. My hope is a limitless tool for the future mastery of exploration will be established and these new “markets” of community can be incorporated as an essential demographic in the execution of projects.

The discourse and criticism of the real world is essential. I challenge my students with the requirement of a final project or exercise to be completed independently and presented at the end of each course. I feel this helps to reinforce daily seminars while solidifying a framework of accountability. As an instructor I attempt to provide as many resources as possible for students to share these projects with the larger community and insist that the exhibition of projects fosters a higher rate of success in a life-long production of work.

It is clear the classroom is not a place for complacency but an opportunity to explore the most imaginative passions as a negotiation with the world. The ultimate result of any medium is the exchange that occurs with the actual reception of images and all who encounter them. For this reason alone I’m passionate about academia and value cultural scholarship as an essential point of attainment that could only be reached by first climbing the depths of history, technique and real world experience.