Teacher of the Year: Scott Monsma

When Professor Scott Monsma learned he had won the teacher of the year award, he couldn’t share the news with anyone, not even his daughter. “They told me I had to keep it a secret for a month,” he recalled with a laugh “I couldn’t even tell my own kid. I’d be talking to her on the phone, and it felt so strange not being able to share it.”Teacher of the year is an award that recognizes teachers who make a meaningful impact on students. For Professor Monsma, who has taught at Northwestern for around 27 years, this honor came as a genuine surprise. “I didn’t expect it,” he said “it’s not why I teach but it felt nice, even surreal. We have so many great faculty here that I think anyone could have won.”While the teacher of the year title is meaningful, Professor Monsma said the true reward is hearing from former students who continue to reflect on his classes.“Sometimes students email me years later to say they’re still thinking about a question I asked in class,” he states “That’s better than any award.”Over the years, Professor Monsma has earned a reputation for weaving humor into his classes. “I’ve been telling terrible jokes since I was seven,” he admitted. “The jokes don’t make me a good teacher, but maybe they make class more fun. And I enjoy them way more than I should.” Though behind the jokes is a serious commitment to connecting with students, he explains that it isn’t just about the content, but it’s also about meeting students where they are and helping them to see the world differently. “You have to get to know the students and work with them. It’s something that I have taken to heart and tried to do.” Monsma says “I think many of our best teachers do this. Your world is different from mine. I don’t necessarily listen to the same music you all do, but I should at least try to understand it. And, I think good teachers, not just me. Find ways to connect to the students, and more importantly, help students connect to what we are teaching.” In terms of good teaching, Monsma asks himself, “can we make this something students see as relevant for who they are? Not just their future, but also now.” Everyone who has taken one of Professor Monsma’s classes knows that he loves to make jokes, but he feels that is not what makes him a successful teacher. He feels that what makes him successful is helping students see the world in a new way.That is what ultimately, at the end of the day, drives him- helping students think about the world in a way they would have never thought about it. Sometimes, that is challenging, but he hopes it becomes fun. “The other thing, and I don’t push this as overtly,” He says, “I think that humans were made in the image of God. So if I can teach in a way that helps us see other human beings as intrinsically valuable, and I love doing that in anthropology, then I think I’ve been successful. So you meet someone who’s very different from you, and instead of just judging them, you step back and say, ‘This is my neighbor, how do I care for my neighbor?’ ” Monsma concludes his statement by saying, “At the end of the day, that’s more important to me than the jokes.” In the end it is not the title Teacher of the Year that defines him, but the lessons he hopes the students at NW carry long after class is over.