Kerwin Charles has a sage piece of advice for graduate students hoping to pursue an academic career: Learn to enjoy the teaching responsibilities that come with coveted research positions, because the rewards can range from motivating your students to inspiring your own research ideas.

"Can you imagine what it would be like to have 65 people sitting before you - grumpy, miserable and unsatisfied, 10 weeks per quarter for 35 years? I'm not kidding about the negative toll that exacts," said Charles, the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies.

Balancing teaching with research goals is just one of the tasks facing aspiring professors. Charles' frank insights were part of a 10-session pedagogy workshop meant to help Harris School graduate students effectively navigate these anxieties. Over the course of the 2009-10 academic year, 20 students met with a variety of esteemed Harris School professors to hear about their time organization, teaching methods and accessibility to students.

Student-Led Initiative

Felicity Vabulas, a rising fourth-year PhD student in international policy, organized the workshop as a way to hone her teaching skills. She spent a lot of time online looking for information on effectively teaching public policy courses, but found a surprising void of information.

"I think public policy schools are still really, really young, and no one has taken a step back and said, 'What does it mean to teach a public policy curriculum?'" said Vabulas, who won Harris School's Public Policy Student Association student teaching award this year.

Her next stop was UChicago's Center for Teaching and Learning, which offers classes to graduate students on teaching practices. She pursued its Certificate in University Teaching, taking workshops on topics such as course design and facilitating classroom discussion. But she hit a hurdle with one of the certificate's final requirements - a pedagogy workshop in her own division, something that the Harris School did not offer.

Vabulas asked for help from professors like Charles, who for two years running has won teaching awards at the Harris School. They all were happy to share their wisdom about the craft.

Professional Enthusiasm

Paula Worthington, a Senior Lecturer who has won Harris teaching awards five times in six years, shared her insights at one of the pedagogy sessions. She said that her enthusiasm rubs off on her students and helps them get more out of the class, regardless of whether they plan to pursue her subject in the future.

"Don't think it is about convincing them that economics or sociology or political science is their meal ticket. They are going to have to decide that on their own, but you can show them what that discipline has to offer: a way of thinking about the world and the choices that they will ultimately have to make as an informed citizen, here or elsewhere."

As for the transition from graduate student to assistant professor, Charles calls it "the weirdest jump of your life."

"There is no preparation for it. You have to write papers, but you now also have to go to meetings and people start asking your opinion about things, and yet your students are still about your age. It is just weird."

Worthington agreed that those first few years as a young professor are a unique experience, but said the challenges are surmountable. She even had some practical fashion advice.

"Acting like the professional that you are is key. You are going to walk in, you are going to have a purpose for being there, you know what you want to accomplish," said Worthington. "High heels, I'm told, also work, but I've given up on that."