Author’s Note: I wrote this post on May 13, 2022. My dear friend and mentor had died from suicide a few short months before, and I was in the tornado of my grief, trying desperately to make meaning of this great loss. I didn’t post. I didn’t do a lot of things during that time. A lot has happened since this post’s initial conception. I left my job and started a new journey, professionally and personally. But, Cathy’s presence continues to be a constant, a light, a guidepost for who I am and the discoveries I still hope to make....

I’ve recently taken a new job. While its intention remains educating the next wave of nurses, the environment has morphed from the classroom to the simulation arena. I was lucky enough in my last role to be exposed to many different types of simulation – live v. virtual, nursing v. interdisciplinary, individual v. large group. But, regardless of the design, my favorite phase is when participants come together to learn from, or make meaning of, the experience (i.e. debrief). Many models exist to provide guidance for successful debriefing. But, outside of evidence-based practice, I’ve noticed some basic principles help me...

I like visual reminders.  I have my personal values & my teaching values written on the dry erase board in my home office.  I have favorite quotes on Post-its attached to my computer screen.  So, while I was processing how to manage my recent bout of overwhelm, I decided a graphic of some sort might help me work through those feelings & organize strategies for consumption.

This blog post is one of a three-part series about how to write a values-based teaching philosophy.  In this blog post, we (April Love and Laurel Hitchcock) cover tips for writing and presenting a values-based teaching philosophy.  The first post offers a process for identifying your teaching values, and in the third post, we share our own values-based teaching philosophies. This post is cross-published on Laurel’s Blog – Teaching and Learning in Social Work.)

This blog post is one of a three-part series about how to write a values-based teaching philosophy.  In this blog post, we (April Love and Laurel Hitchcock) offer a process for identifying your teaching values.  The second post covers tips for writing and presenting a values-based teaching philosophy, and in the third post, we share our own values-based teaching philosophies that resulted from this process.  This post is cross-published on Laurel’s Blog, Teaching & Learning in Social Work: Exploring Ways to Enhance Life-Long Learning in Professional Practice.