Teaching is the first and foremost objective in the California State University System. Since becoming a member of the department of Management, I have taught the following courses: communication in business, the managerial role and the diverse workforce, training and development, organizational behavior, personal effectiveness in managers, MBA: business communication skills for managers.

While pursuing my Ph.D. in English, I also taught business writing, technical writing, and health science writing. Thus, my breadth of teaching is extensive.

Teaching Training and Development has been an exciting experience for me. Although I can teach my students the mechanics of teaching with lectures, overheads, and handouts, I have found it challenging to convey what makes an outstanding teacher/trainer. An outstanding teacher is much more than the subject she or he teaches. Knowledge and content, of course, need to be present, but this is not what makes a good teacher good.

The old saying, "They don't care how much you know--until they know how much you care," encapsulates my approach to teaching. Though I am a rigorous instructor, I am at the same time, open and empathic to my students.

Teaching and learning are synergistic. Without student input, it would be like playing catch alone. To create an environment of learning requires an enthusiastic approach. When my hand hits the door of a classroom, I enter a resource state of excitement and creativity. If I am excited about the material, I find my students become excited as well.

Great teaching involves HEART. I wear a heart around my neck to class each day to remind myself to keep my heart open to my students. Much conspires to shut down one's heart in a university, e.g., the RTP process, the committee work, and the workload. But this is neither the students' fault, nor am I here to punish them for it. Rather, I am here to inspire them to know that they can create anything in their lives that they choose. I am here to validate their intellect, their achievements, and their hopes and dreams. I am here to assist them to achieve at a level they thought was impossible. I can do this because I care about them and their well-being.

My colleagues often ask me how I get exceptional work from my students. I often respond, "I don't know." But I do know. It comes from helping my students believe in themselves; it comes from establishing high goals and achieving them; and it comes from the deep respect I have for my students.

These are the intangible qualities of a great teacher. Yet, I find it challenging to teach my students in my Training and Development course how to attain these qualities. Teaching is so much more than the content of the class. I would be an outstanding teacher teaching basket weaving because a great teacher can teach just about anything.

A person once said: I don't teach a subject; I teach students. This, too, encapsulates my approach to teaching. There is much to learn in life, and I am only one of their teachers along the way. If I can significantly touch some of my students' lives, I have achieved what I came here to do.

Written by Pam Johnson, Management