Teaching

My approach to teaching and leadership is grounded in queer pedagogy, particularly the idea of risk. Following Deborah Britzman, I believe pedagogy is about "risking the self" and "engaging one's own alterity." I challenge students to examine the foundational stories of how we understand ourselves, our reading practices, and our disciplines—to risk familiar ways of knowing and being. I strive to create safe conditions for the kind of risk-taking that enables creativity, innovation, and deep learning.

I am also guided by kindness, as articulated by Catherine J. Denial in A Pedagogy of Kindness. To me, kindness means fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) in learning spaces and making room for what Marie Battiste calls "trans-systemic" knowledge: ways of knowing that recognize "Western," Indigenous, and other historically marginalized epistemologies.

These values converge in my work with alternative assessment, including ungrading and contract grading. In my essay "The Queer Pedagogy of Ungrading," I describe how ungrading reconfigures classroom power dynamics and creates space for intellectual risks without the threat of failure. Such assessment approaches allow for risk, emphasize trust, and make classrooms more equitable and accessible. Students in my classes often have the chance to experiment with creative assignments including game design, video essays, and podcasting.

★ 2025 Faculty of Arts Leadership and Mentorship Award in Justice, Equity, and Transformation

★ 2023 Outstanding Workplace Leadership (OWL) Award

★ 2021 Students' Union Teaching Excellence Award

★ 2020 Faculty of Arts Award for Outstanding Early Career Teacher

I supervise doctoral and master's students working at the intersections of children's and young adult literature, digital culture, queer studies, and media studies. Recent dissertation projects have explored topics including video games and queer horror, Asian diasporic identity in young adult literature, and Dungeons & Dragons as transmedia phenomenon.

Acting Senior Director, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary (2024-2025)

Educational Leader in Residence, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning (2022-2024)

In these roles, I've worked to advance innovative pedagogies, support faculty development, and promote inclusive teaching practices across the university.