Teaching Roundtable Reflections

By Aria Gray MA '26

Late in the afternoon on March 11th, a handful of professors, administrators, and students gathered in the St. Augustine Center for the Villanova English Teaching Roundtable. The event was a casual yet informative conversation for all present, giving potential future teachers a chance to glean some helpful advice while giving current educators the opportunity to share their thoughts on the contemporary educational landscape. A panel of four faculty members, Administrator Mike Malloy, Program Director Mary Mullen, Prof. Yumi Lee, and Prof. Evan Radcliffe, fielded questions from first- and second-year graduate students over dinner, addressing the personal and professional sides of the profession. Discussion topics ranged from the specific, such as “How should my approach change from a high school to a graduate level?” and “What expectations should I set for myself in my first year?”, to the existential, with concerns being raised over the future of AI and how to best handle political discourse in the classroom. 

One of the most fruitful conversational threads of the night concerned shifts in student motivation in the classroom. At the onset of the roundtable, everyone present went around and shared the question they most wanted to discuss by the end of the event. Gia Allgoode, a first-year graduate student, asked the panel how they manage to keep students driven and focused on their work despite evolving institutional and societal expectations of the classroom, leading into our first topic of discussion. Jenna Kosnick, a second-year graduate student with experience in the Writing Center and as a Teaching Assistant, shared that they’ve seen students willing and excited to participate in deep classroom conversations, but fall into nervousness or apprehension when it comes to engaging with a classical text. After a few other students shared their thoughts, the spotlight returned to the panel as they shared their observations on the subject, along with some possible solutions. They identified how some students, in their experience, feel an immense pressure around big tests or exams, which trickles down into smaller, less substantial assignments. Turning away from more formal assessments was proposed, but, as Malloy said best, it’s still “hard to get students to treat low-stakes assignments as low-stakes.”

With this in mind, the panel moved on to alternatives to traditional grading structures. Malloy, a former English teacher, shared his experience working within a school that prioritized skills-based assessments and broader, more open-ended requirements. While helpful, Mike and others questioned this approach, as it placed a massive amount of administrative labor and record-keeping onto teachers, leading to what Dr. Lee dubbed the split between “grade anxiety and grading anxiety.” In return, Dr. Mullen suggested that helping students build a more sustainable relationship with their work can alleviate some of these anxieties without requiring much institutional change. “To want to do something again is okay,” said Dr. Mullen, explaining how she encourages students to make their best effort without overextending themselves, prioritizing “doing less but being intentional in what you’re doing.”

From there, the discussion turned its focus away from students and onto educators. Many students present were concerned about developing a healthy work/life balance as educators, noting that academic work can sometimes feel as though it has no clear end. The panel shared their struggles to find their own sense of equilibrium, with Dr. Mullen identifying the irony of feeling overworked or stressed as an educator while not wanting students to experience the same concerns. In finding an approach to work/life balance that worked for her, Dr. Mullen went on to say that prioritizing her basic “human being needs”—such as exercise and rest—has allowed her to sustain herself throughout her career so far. While the panel noted how many young teachers can be romantics, pushing themselves to make as big an impact as possible, they argued for the importance of finding a manageable pace and not allowing one’s idealism to lead to institutional exploitation. 

As the event wrapped up, the conversation flowed back and forth between educator and student, covering everything from the importance of personal goal-setting, combatting perfectionism, finding alternative ways into teaching besides earning a degree in Education, and navigating the constantly changing presence of AI and politics in the classroom. Afterwards, professors, administrators, and students alike shared light refreshments and dessert before going their separate ways. 

For both future teachers and seasoned educational veterans, the roundtable served as a much-appreciated opportunity to bridge experience and curiosity. What stood out by the end of the night wasn’t any one answer or piece of advice, but the openness of the dialogue itself. Whether navigating how to teach for a new generation of students or how to maintain personal wellness, the evening emphasized that there is no single “correct” way to be a teacher. If anything, it made clear that the future of teaching will be shaped by those willing to adapt, reflect, and reach out to those who come behind them.