After a significant hiatus of our Professor Spotlight series, we at the Prospectus knew we had to choose our next professor wisely. After a brief and convincing discussion, we knew which professor would have the honor of bringing back this series. Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, representing the Humanities and Social Sciences department, we have the much beloved Ted Powers.
Powers currently teaches Intro to Psychology (PSY-101), Abnormal Psychology (PSY-203) and Theories of Personality (PSY-201). I sat down with him and asked him a few questions about his life and teaching career.
What Led Powers to Teach Psychology
When asked why Powers chose to teach psychology, he mentioned that he admires how the subject is something that every person can relate to in some way. “We’re all humans, and this is stuff that we experience,” he said. Interestingly Powers also shared how it is often easier for students to tune in and be engaged in these kinds of subjects compared to others because there is always something in the content that applies to everyone.
Powers mentioned that he did not always envision a career teaching psychology at the collegiate level. He reflected on how he flipped and flopped between interests and career desires during his high school and college years. He mentioned that, up until his high school years, he wanted to be a journalist.
“I wanted to be that crazy person that you see on TV who has bombs exploding around them; that investigative journalist that goes undercover and puts themselves in danger to find the truth,” he said. “And then, I ended up having a couple of fairly horrific English teachers in high school, and that kind of made me think I didn’t want to spend my life writing.”
Powers then went on to talk about how he ended up switching majors several times during his time in college, saying that it was around the end of his second year in community college that he discovered his passion for Psychology.
“I wanted to major in Philosophy, and then I was told, ‘No, no, don’t be stupid. Do you want to get a job? Go into psychology,’” he explained. “I thought about it and then started trying out the psychology courses. I actually found them really interesting, and so that’s what started me into the field of psychology.”
Furthermore, Powers mentioned how the teachers he had played a significant role in what subjects he found interesting and which ones he did not. “I’m not saying it’s all the teachers, but they do play a big part,” he said. “The teacher can either make a topic or field very appealing to a person, or they can make the person feel that that topic is not for them.” Reflecting on his experiences with past teachers who inspired him to continue in the psychology field, Powers strives to be inspiring in the same way by teaching his psychology courses in a way that students find interesting and engaging.
Powers’ Favorite Thing About Teaching
When asked what he enjoys most about teaching, Powers said that he admires when he visibly sees that students are engaged, interested and that they understand the concepts he explains in class. “I love the situation where you can explain something, and you look out into the class and see the light bulbs going off in their heads,” he mentioned. He also said that he enjoys teaching the field of psychology in particular because it is a very complex subject, and there are many parts of it that people can have opinions on. “I love watching students agree and disagree in class in a respectful way,” he said. In addition, Powers mentioned how students agreeing and respectfully disagreeing with each other builds onto that electric feeling of classroom building and tight community.
Powers’ Life Before Teaching
Diving into his life growing up, Powers described it as “just a regular and middle-class life. I grew up in Springfield, Illinois,” he said. “My mom worked as a school secretary, and my dad worked as a barber.” He went on to describe his life growing up as “nothing really extraordinary.”
Powers attended elementary, middle school, high school, and community college in Springfield. He then went on to attend graduate school at UIUC, where he taught his first Intro to Psychology class before moving on to teach at Parkland.
Powers’ Advice To College Students
I asked Powers what his one piece of advice would be to college students, and he answered with something remarkable and necessary for anyone: Don’t be afraid to try your best. “We live in a culture where quite a few people try their best, and then they fail, and then are afraid to try again,” he said. “Failure is part of the process, and successful people have failed many times before. It’s the experience of putting it all on the line and finding out what they can do.” Though this is valuable advice for anyone in the world, it especially applies to college students as they start to explore their career paths.
No matter your major, Powers will leave you with valuable information delivered in a consumable and easy-to-comprehend fashion in an inviting, comfortable and enjoyable environment. If you are interested in taking one of his classes, Powers will teach two large sections of PSY 101 and one regular-sized section of 201 next fall. So make sure to sign up while seats last!
*Comment on who we should spotlight next!
