Teaching and Mentoring

Software-Carpentry 1 has made be a better teacher because of the way we collect feedback during our workshops. When teaching a technical class, we use low-tech sticky notes to signify whether individuals need help or not: Green for no help needed, Red for help needed. This is extremely effective while teaching. As an instructor all you need to look for is a red sticky note and you know someone has a question, or if everyone has a green sticky note, the class is following along.

The python community is proactive in mentoring. During the PyData Carolinas 2016 conference, Carol Willing talked about how small nudges and discussions can be enough to mentor someone. I’ve tried to be a mentor to my students I teach though my lab’s summer program. There is a misconception that mentoring is a 24/7 job. It’s not. The right piece of advice at the right time, can change an individual’s life.

I think about the most influential people in my life, and it’s mainly a series of seemingly random encounters and discussions that helped shaped the person I am today.