Professor Interview Learning outcome #5

Interviewee: Nicole Martinez (Vinyasa Flow Instructor)

Interview took place on 4/18/17 at approximately 11:00 am.

Questions asked in Interview:

  • What was your major in college? "Applied mathematical sciences"
  • What are a few of your hobbies? "Board games mostly. That's my number one. I also enjoy movies."
  • What made you decide you wanted to teach? "Experience mostly. I had taken on a job as a tutor to earn money and that's when I learned I enjoyed teaching others."
  • What do you like best about your job? "I enjoy teaching students and interacting with them as well such as right now."
  • What do you expect from your students? "When I first started teaching, I expected my students to be just like me. Now, I just want my students to genuinely try their best, follow instructions, and communicate openly."
  • What advice can you give to college students? "The best advice I can give is for students to make the right friends. Especially those who are away from home, a strong support group is extremely important. Also, students need to communicate with their professors."

Yoga Specific Questions:

  • When did you begin your practice? "Well, I have been practicing for a very long time. But I would say that I began a dedicated practice in 2010."
  • What do you like best about yoga? "Definitely the mind/body connection."
  • What are the biggest benefits you have experienced from your practice? "I have gotten a lot stronger. I don't know how to word this but it has allowed me to gain better control of my emotions. Especially with the breathing techniques."
  • What advice can you give to beginner yogis? "I would say to definitely experiment with not only different classes but different teachers. Occasionally practice at home, but for beginners it benefits to be in classes more."

Reflection

I chose the interview my Vinyasa Flow instructor, Nicole Martinez, because I enjoy her class as well as her presence. Nicole is very inspiring in her yoga practice and also a very calming person to be around. When interviewing her, I could tell she was genuinely interested in talking to me and answering my questions. It made me very happy that she was so attentive to me and interested in giving me stories about her experiences. From conducting this interview with Nicole, I have learned that professors do care about you and care whether or not you communicate with them. I also learned that being well-rounded, such as Nicole as she is a faculty member for the Nuclear Engineering Department , allows you to gain knowledge so that you can be apart of these interviews and give students insight. This experience has allowed me to think of Nicole more as a person who wants to give knowledge to students and less of a teacher who just wants a job. Nicole is a very awesome person and I would love to speak with her again outside of the classroom. Overall, this has also made me realize that all professors have their own hobbies and quirks outside of professing. However, they chose to teach because they want to make a difference in student's lives. In conducting this interview and producing this exhibit, I have learned that everyone is different and everyone does different things. But, in the end, everyone just wants to learn more, give back, and smile big.

Credits:

Created with images by Wokandapix - "classroom school education"

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