I am a scholar of Christian thought and African American religious experience. As a teacher, it is my task to inform, inspire, and cultivate students' learning interests in these and other related fields of study. I aim to encourage the development of students who are able to describe, interpret, and critically reflect on the meaning of varied African American religious and theological traditions and their roles in the contemporary world. In the classroom, my goal is to be both a conveyer of knowledge and a facilitator of students' own knowledge production. Additionally, I seek to promote a classroom environment where every student feels safe to ask thoughtful, generative questions, share their own perspectives, and receive critique from each other. Finally, I aim to foster a space for students to have fun in the classroom. I consider it a joy to help develop students' critical minds and to guide them into the fields of African American religion and Christian thought. I am excited to teach various topics in these fields, and it gives me greater joy when students get excited about the study of these matters also.