My role as a teacher is to help students find the breadth and depth of their knowledge and to develop with them a willingness to share their insights with others. It is a personal commitment. I learn more than I teach, and I realize it is a privilege to be a teacher.

My most important role as a teacher of architecture is to develop within the student an understanding of the relationship between social awareness and aesthetics. Architecture is a social art, and if it is to contribute creatively to the lives of people, it must be beautiful. But society has a broader set of problems to solve, and architects can play a role in helping address them. I believe students should grapple with this reality and develop their own sense of values in a positive and creative way.

I was influenced by two very great teachers. From Professor Paul Heffernan of Georgia Tech, I learned as an undergraduate my love for architecture and a deep respect for human values. In Professor Donald Drew Egbert of Princeton University, I found a mentor who had a great love for teaching, and his passion and enthusiasm for architectural history greatly influenced my appreciation for the built world around us. Both of these professors encouraged me to become a teacher and instilled in me a very strong sense of what excellence meant in terms of personal achievement. Both men were wonderful human beings and they had a great love for what they professed as teachers.

My students excel in my courses because I strive to assist them in finding themselves and to discover the beauty in what they know and don't know. My classes are often referred to as a "family of friends" because they are mutually supportive and encouraging in the art of creative discovery. In this respect I believe teachers are role models. I enjoy doing things for others. I love to learn from others and I love teaching.

For me the mark of a good teacher is one who is really willing to work hard at helping someone else open up his or her own mind and heart. If you don't respect the people with whom you are working, I don't care how brilliant you are, you will not be a good teacher. To be wonderfully open to new ideas, to listen attentively, and to be rigorous in the pursuit of excellence are the goals I have set for myself as a teacher. When I leave teaching, I will want to believe that I have contributed to a lot of people's lives, as they have vastly contributed to mine.