Professor proves teaching can be fun and rewarding

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POSTED BY: FIUSM CONTRIBUTING WRITERS NOVEMBER 2, 2016

Christopher Downs/Contributing Writer

Students keep her young, says 72-year-old professor, Debbie Gyenizse, who has 20 years of teaching under her belt.

Gyenizse strives to provide a cheerful and engaging learning environment for her students; she teaches Writing & Rhetoric I and II and Essay Writing at the University.

As a proud alumna of FIU, she explained her early journey as a teacher assistant and the evolvement that established her teaching career.

“If I had enough class[es], I wouldn’t want to teach anywhere else. I love FIU.”

In her essay writing course, ENC 1930, Gyenizse uses a tough but fair approach when grading students’ assignments to prepare them for the following English course, Writing & Rhetoric 1 or ENC 1101.

“I tell them ‘I’m going to be fair. If you’re not going to do the work right the first time, you’re not going to get in.’”

The 72-year-old professor believes her positive attitude motivates her students and creates a favorable learning environment. As an instructor, it’s important to engage with your students, encourage them, and provide proper feedback, Gyenizse says.

“If you come in with that kind of attitude, your students will feed off of that,” she said.

Gyenizse tries to build a rapport with her students through personal stories and jokes.

“… I like to crack jokes. If I see someone with purple hair, I’ll crack a joke about it.”

She does this to relate it back to the course material and also connect with the students who tend to be less engaged.

While she may not see the majority of her students the following semester, Gyenizse says she cares about her students and is always available to help.

Gyenizse emphasizes the time and effort she puts into her assignments for her students – from units plans and journal entries to citation activities. It’s all done so that at the end of her courses, her students will be knowledgeable.

“My goal is to teach, not lecture. I want my students to come out learning something,” said Gyenizse.