The Alan J. Perlis SCS Student Teaching Award
School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh PA 15213-3891
(412)268-8525 . (412)268-5576 (fax)

Reflections

Stefani Karp
2020 Graduate Student Teaching Award


For me, teaching is fundamentally about understanding, communication, and their interplay.

It is about developing such a deep understanding of the material that its communication flows naturally. It is about naming each struggle to communicate as, at its core, an issue with my own understanding, and then diving in to patch these holes.

It is about understanding the students – understanding that they are people and remembering what it feels like to be in their shoes. It is about communicating with them to further cultivate this understanding and then allowing this understanding to speak when we communicate.

I am grateful to the wonderful students of 10-701, as well as Aarti Singh, Geoff Gordon, Brynn Edmunds, and my fellow TAs, for creating a supportive and enriching environment in which I could grow as a teacher. I look forward to continued development as a teacher and mentor in the coming years; for me, the most joyful part of learning is sharing it with others.


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