The jury awarded the winner for her dedication, engagement with students and overall contribution to the course "Introduction to Security".
We are delighted to announce that Veronica Valeros has been awarded the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for her exceptional contributions to the Introduction to Security course, taught during the Winter Semester of 2023/2024, in the Master's program of Open Informatics. Veronica's dedication, passion, and innovative teaching methods have made a significant impact on the learning experiences of our students. We value her commitment to fostering a safe and engaging learning environment, and we acknowledge her contributions with a 15,000 CZK scholarship.
Let's delve into an interview with Veronica to learn more about her teaching philosophy and approach:
What do you like most about teaching?
What I like the most about being a teaching assistant is that I can help make the lecturers' vision a reality. Teaching information security is challenging in many aspects. Our lecturer has the vision that students need to have a safe space for learning, trying, breaking, hacking, and playing for learning to be successful. We love that vision, and my role is to help create that safe space in reality. It involves everything from engineering, DevOps, and analysis to design and communication. Going to class and seeing how students can break things and learn without fear, that's the real prize for us.
What makes a good teacher?
A good teacher understands they are a means to an end. Teachers do not have all the answers and certainly do not need to know everything. Teachers who understand that their role is to make sure they provide the best guidance to students on a new topic so that they continue learning, those good teachers. With that understanding comes respect and responsibility towards the students, which is then reflected in preparation, effort, and delivery.
How is your approach different compared to other teachers?
I think what is important is to be able to bring your best self to work, whether it is teaching or anything else, really. I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and I am lucky to have a team of teachers to lean on when needed. We work together and bring the best out of each other.
What advice would you give to fellow teachers?
Mental health and self-care are often not discussed but are essential for teaching in the long term. Teaching is not a sprint, it's a marathon, and as such is vital to self-pace. Teaching can be exhausting if you let it. It is important to establish a balance between giving and receiving. For me, every week is as much about what I am teaching as it is about how much I am learning. This gives me balance and calmness.