Those of you who know me are keenly aware of the two main passions in my life: teaching and design.
And so it was that I was able recently to share my two passions with the new dean of UCLA Extension, Dr. Wayne Smutz. It was an honor that he chose to attend a recent lecture I was giving in my “History of Environmental Arts II” class on English Georgian architecture and design. He selected my class and a few others, out of hundreds, to attend. Dr. Smutz – who came to UCLA last October from Penn State – introduced himself briefly, stayed for 1½ hours and took notes. It was an honor to have him in the class, and I could sense very quickly that he will be great for the program.
I have no idea why he chose to come to my class – perhaps he has an interest in the subject matter or perhaps he was drawn to my status as a “Distinguished Instructor,” one of a handful at UCLA Extension.
If it was the latter, I have to say I am proud of my teaching abilities and my constant efforts to be sensitive to students, to be patient and to break down the material in accessible ways. But honestly, it’s my passion both for teaching and for design that plays the biggest role in whatever success I may have had.
I have wanted to go into education ever since I was in elementary school, though at the time I thought I would be an English teacher (and am still a stickler for good grammar and writing).
When I got my first teaching job at the age of 26, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I loved being in the classroom and connecting with students. I realized that education was in my blood.
Though in the first part of my teaching career I enjoyed teaching business and accounting courses, later I discovered that what really spoke to me were design and art. I “caught fire” when I started taking architectural and design history courses at UCLA Extension around 1990. I was hungry for more knowledge and took classes for years, not only at UCLA but also at USC, NYU and Cal State Northridge and then on to graduate work at Sotheby’s Institute in London and New York – wherever I could find classes that covered new material. I still enjoy being a student – for it’s only through learning that you can teach effectively.
It was a natural progression from student to instructor at UCLA Extension, where I began teaching in fall 2001. I’ve loved every minute of it.
And so, I hope my passion for my subject and UCLA Extension came through to the new dean. And I hope he realizes how lucky I am that I can combine the two loves of my life in ways I couldn’t have quite envisioned in grammar school.
All my best to you,
Eleanor