Keith Slettedahl
Professor Weaver
English 1102-322
25 April 2022
Early on in her higher ed teaching career, Jessamyn Neuhaus – author and professor of Pop Culture and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at SUNY Plattsburgh – was faced with an unsettling pedagogical realization: sheer love of a subject did not make of her an effective teacher. As a self-proclaimed “introverted geek,” Neuhaus found that the foundational principles of effective pedagogy, namely the ability to communicate and connect with her students, did not come naturally to her. However, in discovering that her seeming personal deficiencies could be used as pedagogical strengths, Neuhaus has developed a unique teaching and learning philosophy deeply rooted in authenticity, self-reflection, and compassion, and is a distinctive and much-needed voice for both students and teachers in higher learning today.
In her 2019 article, “My Big Teaching Mistake: Losing Sight of Pedagogical Success,” Jessamyn Neuhaus asserts, “the classroom is a social space and effective teaching requires positive interactions” (103), and studies performed on how students learn support this assertion. James M. Lang – author, professor of English, and Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College – in his 2021 book, Small Teaching, states: “Connections to the human beings around them [students] are just as important as the connections that we [teachers] foster for them in the cognitive realm” (159). For Neuhaus and other introverted scholars like her, establishing positive connections with students is much easier said than done, and it was out of this realization that much of Neuhaus’s pedagogical philosophy was born. 
One of Neuhaus’s cornerstone principles of effective pedagogy is the need for authenticity as a teacher. This contention is supported by the director of the Think Forward Quality Enhancement Plan at the University of Mississippi, Joshua R. Eyler. In his 2018 book, How Humans Learn, Eyler acknowledges that authenticity is key in implementing any pedagogical strategy and asserts that educators “need to find a strategy that meshes with our personalities in order for these benefits to be fully realized” (129). Understanding the impossibility of becoming an idealized version of the “perfect teacher” (what she refers to as the “Super Teacher” myth), Neuhaus had no choice but to “be herself,” and eventually found that her apparent personality limitations could be used as pedagogical positives (Neuhaus “Four Ways”).
For one, Neuhaus believes that learning how to become a more effective teacher is an intellectual endeavor, therefore, perfectly suited to “egg head” scholars who love to “problematize, hypothesize, research, and reflect” (Neuhaus, “Geeky Pedagogy” 12). In addition, Neuhaus maintains that a professor’s authentic, “geeky” enthusiasm for a subject is, far from being a negative trait, an absolute essential component in effectively presenting material to students, and thus, must be celebrated rather than repressed (“Geeky Pedagogy” 12). In How Humans Learn, Eyler concurs: “enthusiasm is one of the most underestimated teaching tools at our disposal” (128). Through embracing her authentic self, Neuhaus finds that she feels more confident in implementing connection engendering strategies such as making eye-contact with students, engaging in small talk before class, and asking questions that don’t pertain to classwork, all of which build personal rapport and approachability- two key components of effective teaching (“My Big” 103).
Another foundational pedagogical strategy of Neuhaus’s is the practice of self-reflection and introspection. Educator and researcher Dr. Harriet Schwartz, in her 2019 book Connected Teaching: Relationship, Power, and Mattering in Higher Education, proposes “that knowing ourselves is as important as understanding the content of our disciplines” (xiii). Because Neuhaus asserts that “learning is not a static process” and effective pedagogy is an exercise in “learning and re-learning,” she believes a continued practice of self-reflection is essential in maintaining authenticity and measuring the state of one’s pedagogical efficacy within shifting teaching contexts (“My Big” 100).
One of Neuhaus’s reflective practice strategies is making sure to not just focus on her pedagogical mistakes, but to also acknowledge what she is doing well. She contends that because many educators (scholars who are highly trained at critique) are better at finding problems than seeing positives, intentionally recognizing pedagogical “victories” is a crucial component in maintaining happiness and confidence in the classroom (“My Big” 101). Another reflective method that Neuhaus promotes is the practice of consistent engagement with an energetic community of one’s peers (“Four Ways”). Neuhaus believes that connecting with other academics is essential to recognizing one’s own strengths and weaknesses and emphasizes the importance of educators honestly sharing their pedagogical failures with one another, thus creating a welcoming peer environment where teachers can make mistakes, get feedback, and receive support for improvement (Neuhaus “Super Teacher”). In addition, Neuhaus views the cultivation of gratitude (“an inner attitude that leads to an expression of thanks”) as a vital part of an educator’s reflective practice (“Geeky Pedagogy” 114). Citing psychological and educational studies that demonstrate its positive impact on one’s quality of life, Neuhaus views the incorporation of gratitude into a reflective pedagogy as an indispensable component for improving teaching efficacy and student learning, while “decreasing student related stress and burnout” (“Geeky Pedagogy” 114).
One more pedagogical theme that underlies all Neuhaus’s writings is the need for greater compassion in higher learning, both for students and fellow teachers. A phrase Neuhaus consistently urges educators and students to remember is: “learning is hard” (“Geeky Pedagogy” 28). Thus, she stresses the importance of treating each other with respect and kindness while empathetically considering the varying challenges that students and teachers might be facing. (“Geeky Pedagogy” 27).
In How Humans Learn, Joshua R. Eyler states, “the single most important strategy we can use to help our students to succeed in our courses is to care about them as learners and as human beings” (129). For Neuhaus, this means that educators must first make the effort to “know who their students are,” thereby acknowledging that students are dynamic human beings with varying degrees of academic experience, motivation, and ways of learning (“Geeky Pedagogy” 35). Because of this, Neuhaus contends that there is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to teaching, and she encourages teachers to maintain an evolving pedagogy to meet changing student needs (“Nerds Assemble”). Moreover, Neuhaus acknowledges that even though students have disparate personal histories, all students in higher ed “are under tremendous pressure,” financial or otherwise (“Geeky Pedagogy” 36), and the compassionate consideration of this fact on the part of educators is essential in conveying to students that they are cared for, which Neuhaus contends is “the most necessary component of a teacher’s pedagogy” (“Nerds Assemble”).
In addition to the pedagogical care she extends to students, Neuhaus provides a much-needed voice of compassion for her fellow teachers, particularly those historically underrepresented in higher education. Dr. Harriet Schwartz, in her 2019 book, Connected Teaching: Relationship, Power, and Mattering in Higher Education, states: “faculty who hold marginalized identities may not be granted the legitimate power of their positions” (91). Because she realizes that these “disparate teaching realities” have an enormous impact on a teacher’s efficacy, Neuhaus repeatedly addresses these systemic inequities based on gender, race, disability, or tenure that still exist in higher ed, and in her article, “Four Ways to Fight the Super Teacher Myth,” she asserts that “pursuing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion should be on the top of everyone’s teaching to do list” (website).
What makes Jessamyn Neuhaus an important figure in higher education can be summed up in two words: she cares. She cares about student learning. She cares about the challenges that teachers face. She cares enough to be authentic and vulnerable in order to teach more effectively, and thus inspires her academic peers to do the same. In a scholarly community full of “experts,” Neuhaus provides a shot of much-needed humility by continually reminding her peers that “teachers will always be students,” and that effective pedagogy begins with the principles of care and connection. But even more impressive is the fact that her work is not just applicable across pedagogical disciplines, but also speaks to universal truths about the challenges of what it means to be human. Because wherever one finds his or herself, in higher ed or elsewhere, it’s important to remember: “learning is hard.”
To Learn more about Jessamyn Neuhaus, follow her on Twitter: @GeekyPedagogy
Or visit her website: https://geekypedagogy.com
Works Cited
- Eyler, Joshua R. How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching. WVU Press, 2018.
- Lang, James M. Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint, 2021.
- Neuhaus, Jessamyn. “Four Ways to Fight the Super Teacher Myth.” Website.https://onehe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/OneHE_-Jessamyn-Neuhaus_transcript.pdf
- Neuhaus, Jessamyn. Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerd Who Want to be Effective Teachers. West Virginia Press, 2019.
- Neuhaus, Jessamyn. “My Big Teaching Mistake: Losing Sight of Pedagogical Success.” Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy, 2019, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p99-105
- Neuhaus, Jessamyn. “Nerds Assemble Presentation.” YouTube, uploaded by Jessamyn Neuhaus, 31 May 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDZP3CMpdaU
- Neuhaus, Jessamyn. “Talk Amongst Yourselves: A SoTL Manifesto.” The Common Good: A SUNY Plattsburgh Journal on Teaching and Learning. Vol 3. 2015. https://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/handle/1951/69775