Cait Roufa

When I was an undergraduate, I received a competitive vocal scholarship for which there was a requirement to enroll in voice lessons. In my small group, there was an older gentleman who admitted he was taking classes so that he would no longer embarrass his wife in church. His wife's assessment of his singing was, unfortunately, accurate. I recall thinking at the time that people were either inherently good at something or not. Well, by the end of the term, this man was confidently belting out showtunes in a beautiful tenor! That moment permanently shaped my approach to learning and my philosophy as an educator, that anyone can learn anything if given time to practice and a patient, skillful teacher.

Atmospheric dynamics and physics can be intimidating. Many students view a course like Weather Dynamics with anxiety due to its mathematical rigor and reputation. In my role as Instructor of Record for MET 410/510 and 411/511, I redesigned the course sequence to incorporate hands-on demonstrations, Python-based labs, and applications with traditional hand computation and derivation of the governing equations. By explicitly connecting mathematical expressions to physical terms and observable phenomena, students build critical thinking and confidence in the content and in themselves.

I believe that one of the most important things we can do as educators is normalize failure. The academic environment ought to be a safe place for students to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and try again when the stakes are low. I use frequent formative assessments, structured problem solving in small groups, and opportunities to work through difficult concepts before rigorous exams. I'm not interested in making hard subjects easy by removing the hard parts. I want students to have the tools, support, and practice they need to work through them.

My classes balance lecture, small group discussion, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. I like to start with a question or a real phenomenon and work toward the physical principles and mathematics that explain it. Modern Earth science is incredibly data rich, and students need opportunities to work with real observations and models. In Weather Dynamics, that means using Python and atmospheric datasets alongside derivations, hand calculations, and interpretation of weather maps. Every assignment should bring us back to what the mathematics means physically, and why we care.

Teaching is also inseparable from mentoring for me. As a first generation, nontraditional student who returned to graduate school after teaching high school physics, I know that not all paths through education are the same. I want students to feel safe asking questions, whether in front of the class or quietly during office hours. Sometimes all a student needs in order to succeed is someone who takes an interest, believes they can do it, and helps them find the next step.

Ultimately, my goal is to help students experience their own version of that vocal class, the point where something that was once intimidating becomes something that they can do with confidence and perhaps even enjoy. Whether teaching introductory Earth science or upper level dynamics, I want students to leave with enthusiasm for understanding the world around them.