Teaching Mentors

Marissa Gurtler

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies 

Patricia Haberkorn

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: German, Nordic, & Slavic+

Patricia (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Second Language Acquisition and German. Since 2021, she has been teaching German language and culture courses in both German and English at UW-Madison. Patricia’s student-centered teaching approach integrates universal design for learning and culturally sustaining pedagogy. Patricia cares about students as individuals with different identities, about their learning inside and outside of her classroom, and about class community and learning atmosphere. By bringing authentic materials that reflect diverse perspectives into the classroom, Patricia encourages students to find, make, and have important connections, changes, and opportunities. As a lifelong learner herself, she continuously attends workshops, broadens her horizon by reading scholarly articles on pedagogy and second language acquisition, critically reflects and evaluates her lessons, and regularly takes risks by trying new methods and approaches.

Haley Johnson

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: English

Haley has been teaching for over three years, in multiple areas including feminist literature, film and literature, a 100-level legal studies course, a 100-level ethnic studies class, and most recently English 100. Haley enjoys changing disciplines because she appreciates the opportunity to grow and be challenged as she develops as an educator, and each term she strives to gain a new skillset. Her very favorite class to teach was also her first class – ENGL 144, African Feminisms with her advisor and mentor Professor Ainehi Edoro. Professor Edoro really nurtured Haley’s creative approach to teaching, and Haley has developed close bonds with those students that continue today, many letters of recommendation and office hours later! Teaching ENGL 144 taught Haley how to reach students and connect them to their interests, but also how to model for your students a standard of excellence and rigor. Haley’s approach to teaching since having that experience has been to make learning engaging, and to create an environment where students feel comfortable growing and supporting one another.

Sam Kramer

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: Physics

Sam is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and has been teaching for Physics 202, a course for engineering major undergraduates that focuses on electricity, magnetism, and optics, since arriving in Madison. Sam also taught for a similar course as an undergraduate at Saint Louis University. In this role, he leads both discussions, which focus on problem solving, and labs, which provide hands-on experience with the concepts being taught. Physics can be an overwhelming subject, so Sam tries to distill the material into manageable chunks for the students, emphasizing the broader concepts underlying the formulas students use and drawing explicit connections between parts of the curricula. This is meant to develop the dynamic problem solving skills students need when encountering problems they have not seen before.

Kyle Miron

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: History

Teaching became an important part of Kyle’s life in high school when they taught ballet to toddlers. In college they majored in Education and worked for three years in the Vassar College Writing Center, developing a love for mixing the history and sociology of education with on-the-ground pedagogy. They have been teaching at UW-Madison for three years to both undergraduate students and men incarcerated at a nearby prison. They are especially excited about developing students’ intellectual curiosity and empowering them to think deeply together about why history matters. Kyle believes that this is best done in a supportive intellectual community and has worked to nurture collaborative and generous classrooms.

Julia Perroni

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies

Julia (she/her/hers) has been teaching Latin, classical literature, and ancient mediterranean cultural studies at UW-Madison since 2021. Prior to arriving in Madison, she has taught and tutored informally at many levels of education. She particularly enjoys teaching students the skills of expression and argument, and delights in seeing students develop confident attitudes toward their mastery of material in her classroom. Her favourite courses to teach thus far had been Latin and Classical Mythology, both of which provide rich opportunities for students to engage with the ancient world directly. Julia works hard to make Greek and Roman material fun and accessible to students, and to ensure that every student leaves her classroom with a lasting curiosity about other cultures and the skills to investigate the mysteries of our own culture and others.

Zoe Ryan

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: Botany

Zoe has been working with students for 6 years, as a teaching assistant for 3 years, and half of that time here at UW-Madison. She believes the students here are uniquely driven to succeed and collaborate, and she especially admires those who bring this attitude to classes outside of their major. She has taught a variety of courses for students throughout their college experience, from General Biology to the Vegetation of Wisconsin. Zoe enjoys working with undergraduates earlier in their career the most because she likes to help them explore a variety of topics new to them to find their interests. She finds that they also are the most helpful in honing her teaching practice, the questions they ask help her reevaluate how she can present the material. She always wants to keep learning new ways of helping students succeed, so that she can equip them to push their learning limits. She does this primarily through making the classroom as comfortable a space as possible, by connecting students with their peers, understanding their humanness, and being transparent with my material and learning goals.

Mingxin Xie

Lead Teaching Mentor

Teaching Department: Economics

Mingxin is a rising fourth-year Ph.D. student in Economics at UW-Madison with three years of teaching experience in Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Previously, he led Pre-calculus recitations at the Ohio State University as an undergraduate. Mingxin’s teaching focuses on empowering students to become effective problem-solvers while fostering a supportive learning environment. He actively seeks students’ feedback, incorporating suggestions, and address concerns promptly. In his discussion sections, Mingxin combines concise reviews with interactive group work, frequently checking in with students to help them build a strong foundation. He finds the most rewarding moments in teaching to be when students confidently explain their reasoning with clarity and precision.

Rachel Andrews

Teaching Departments: Classical & Ancient Near Eastern Studies

Rachel (she/her/hers) is a PhD student in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies. Her favorite courses to teach include Classical Mythology and courses on Greek and Roman culture, which offer rich opportunities for students to explore the ancient world in creative and meaningful ways. Her teaching emphasizes making the ancient world more approachable, often through interactive activities, visual materials, and visits to campus collections such as the Chazen Museum of Art. She aims to cultivate thoughtful analysis and creative approaches that challenge the ways students interact with the world around them.

Benjamin Beyer

Teaching Department: Physics

As an undergraduate, Benjamin began teaching introductory courses in physics. Since matriculating as a graduate student in the Department of Physics, Benjamin has continued to teach a wide range of courses, from courses emphasizing experimental laboratory skills to courses with a theoretical flavor. His approach blends connecting with students with breaking down complicated subjects, such that students can connect with the material in the context of their own experiences. He believes that learning physics is just as much about learning how to troubleshoot and make mistakes safely as it is about getting the right answer. Ultimately, his favorite part of teaching is helping to take the intimidation factor out of physics and watching students gain confidence in their own abilities.

Keira Hook

Teaching Department: Spanish & Portuguese

Keira is a PhD student studying Spanish linguistics, following a master’s here in Madison. She graduated with a degree in Spanish Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and subsequently student-taught high school Spanish. She then spent 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. It was an amazing year full of folklore dancing, eating far too much dulce de leche, and teaching English to students from kindergarten through university. During her three years of teaching in Madison, she has taught Spanish at levels from beginner through advanced. She has also been a teacher and regional coordinator for K-12 students through the Migrant Education Program. Keira focuses on engaging learners through interactive and movement-based lessons. ¡Vamos!

Austin Miller

Teaching Department: Economics

Austin is a sixth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics, specializing in Econometrics. He began teaching in high school as a tutor in the Stay-in-School math program, supporting students who benefited from additional one-on-one instruction outside the classroom. As an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming, he worked as a tutor at the Center for Assistance with Statistics & Mathematics and served as a TA for undergraduate mathematics courses. Since beginning graduate school, he has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses, most recently as an adjunct instructor for business statistics at UW–Whitewater and a student lecturer for machine learning for economists at the undergraduate and master’s levels at UW–Madison. Austin’s teaching emphasizes independent thought, curiosity, and collaboration. He aims to help students move beyond rote memorization and develop lasting economic intuition.

Shaneya Miriyagalla

Teaching Department: Integrative Biology

Shaneya began her teaching career in Sri Lanka, where she worked as a Teaching Assistant for two years, supporting laboratory curricula of Introductory Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Microbiology and Biosystems Technology at her home university. She later served as a Teaching Assistant for Introductory Biology at UW-Madison for four semesters, where she was introduced to a novel student-cantered teaching culture that inspired her to grow even further as a teacher and find and refine my own style of teaching. She is particularly passionate about teaching laboratory components of introductory biology. Shaneya finds it deeply rewarding to be able to spark curiosity and inspiration earlier on in undergraduates’ scientific journeys, where they first learn in depth about how living systems work. To be able to foster that appreciation and understanding about the biological world around us, through hands on practical work is especially meaningful to her. As a teacher, Shaneya always tries to present the material as clearly and as easily as possible and create a collaborative lab environment where students feel encouraged to ask questions, be curious, think critically, and actively engage in the learning process.

Marianne Nacanaynay

Teaching Department: Communication Arts

Marianne is a PhD student in the Media and Cultural Studies area of the Communication Arts department. She has taught at UW-Madison for three years in production, media analysis, and public speaking courses. Marianne has enjoyed every TA position she’s been in for the different ways they’ve helped her develop her pedagogy, but most enjoys the first time she gets to teach a course for the excitement of trying out something new. When teaching, Marianne strives to create a learning environment that encourages students to learn with and from each other. She focuses on developing a community of mutual trust and responsibility with the hope that students feel empowered to ask questions and think critically about media, as well as their relationships to/with media and each other.

Gloria Pham

Teaching Department: English

Gloria Pham is a PhD candidate in Literary Studies in the English Department. She has been teaching for three years in both the English and Asian American Studies Department. In addition to her experience as a teaching assistant for introductory literature courses, Gloria has also served as an instructor of record for the English 100 program. Her favorite class to teach is “Asian American Literary and Popular Culture,” which encourages students to develop critical awareness about the ways that structures of racialization inflect upon cultural production both in and outside the U.S. Her pedagogical practice is student-oriented and grounded in the belief that students should view themselves as active participants in intellectual exchange.

Avery Puskas

Teaching Department: Spanish & Portuguese

Avery Puskas is a doctoral candidate in Spanish Linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Since 2022, Avery has taught a range of undergraduate Spanish courses. She has also previously served as Head Teaching Assistant for Spanish 101 and 102, where she supported new instructors and helped to coordinate multi-section courses. She is currently teaching Spanish 226, her favorite course, because students develop not only their language skills but also their writing skills and leave the class as confident and capable writers and speakers in Spanish. Avery’s teaching emphasizes communicative practice, inclusive classroom environments, and helping students build confidence as language users. She strives to create supportive spaces where students feel comfortable participating, taking risks, and engaging with language and culture.

Cassidy Rempel

Teaching Departments: Communication Arts

Cassidy began teaching as a writing center tutor during her time as an undergraduate student. She is now a PhD candidate teaching rhetoric, politics, and culture courses in the Communication Arts department. Her work as a tutor has informed her student-centered approach to teaching. As a teacher, Cassidy is committed to creating an inclusive discussion-based environment that encourages students to think critically and to challenge their own perspectives. She views teaching as an opportunity to foster discussions that engage with student interests and that are facilitated by transparency, curiosity, and care.

Ethan Schondorf

Teaching Department: Mathematics

Ethan (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in the Mathematics Department. At UW Madison, he has served as a TA for a variety of calculus courses, as well as a lecturer for pre-calculus math courses such as College Algebra and Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving. In his classroom, he focuses not only on teaching mathematics but on developing first year students’ college skills and independence as learners. He is also interested in inquiry-based learning (IBL) teaching methods. He has created IBL lessons that are designed to both center the student in the classroom and encourage learners to see themselves as mathematicians. He takes great pride in watching his students grow mathematically and as people in their college journeys. Outside of the university, he enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing board games with friends.

John Spoerl

Teaching Department: Mathematics

John is a 4th year Mathematics PhD student, and has taught courses ranging from Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving to Multivariable Calculus.  Most of John’s students are first and second years majoring in areas outside of math or STEM, so it’s John’s goal to leave them with an impression of mathematics that transcends formalisms (math isn’t just symbol manipulation nor a random collection of rules to be memorized!) and give them the skills to reason abstractly in the contexts that are relevant to them. Whenever possible, students are exploring course content through guided inquiry lessons or developing and defending their ideas as they are applied to real-world scenarios. By designing classroom experiences around investigation, collaboration, and reflection, John aims to empower students to make the mathematics their own and develop themselves as self-regulated learners. John loves seeing students grow, even over just a semester!

Alexander Zielinski

Teaching Department: Chemistry

Alex is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry and has taught General Chemistry courses for two years. He enjoys teaching students during whole class, discussion section, and lab. Teaching chemistry offers many challenges and learning opportunities as we ask students to connect macroscale observable phenomena to complicated molecular scale explanations. To help student overcome this challenging task, Alex has found success in activating students’ prior knowledge and leveraging their life experience by using guiding questions. He believes that students learn most efficiently when they are active participants in their learning process. By conducting frequent formative assessments, students can check their understanding and correct misconceptions early. Alex feels a responsibility to maximize each student’s learning opportunity by respecting their situations and providing flexibility in how each student is allowed to achieve learning objectives.

2025 Teaching Mentors

2024 Teaching Mentors

2023 Teaching Mentors

Questions

Please contact Lynne Prost at lprost@wisc.edu with questions about the Teaching Mentor program.