Dr. Anthony M. Aceste, M.P.S., Ed.D.
LHS Academic Hall of Fame, 2018
Mentoring, encouraging, inspiring, challenging and empowering students to grasp and preserve the subject matter presented is mandates I place upon myself. Post-secondary teaching is an opportunity that is not bestowed upon many individuals; I believe that a college educator should deliver these qualities and attributes to every student throughout their educational advancement. Active learning and collaboration are critical elements of my philosophy of education, and I fully believe that momentous learning events occur in situations that are both meaningful and credible. Personally, the teaching experience is exceptionally exhilarating by allowing me to actively participate in the further discovery of the intricacies and challenges within the criminal justice field. My instructional model involves offering interesting, relevant concepts, theories, and material that encourage students to integrate information positively into their own life experience. Within the classroom, I find myself continuously amazed by the astute observations of the students that I teach or mentor, challenged by their inquiries and inspired by their insights.
As an educator, I have come to recognize that teaching is as integral to my own personal and professional development as it is to my students. My pedagogical approach incorporates diverse educational elements with the desire to encourage and inspire students, prepare future criminal justice leaders and to have them become active participants in their personal development. I am determined that within my classroom, students will learn how to efficiently evaluate any argument or explanation to develop informed attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives. It is my desire for my students to become as passionate about criminal justice as I am and understand the various components of the criminal justice system. My instructional plans objective is to challenge students to use their critical thinking skills in both real-life experiences and hypothetical situations.
Incorporating the importance of trending topics relating to criminal justice, as seen and heard in the media, into relevant, worthwhile discussions are weaved into each classroom experience. My view is that it is essential to have an open forum within the classroom to allow students to discuss and defend their ideas about the criminal justice system. Continual reinforcement of an open door policy to my students that I am readily accessible and encourage them to speak to me before or after class creates the one to one atmosphere essential in today’s academic field. My short and long-term objective is to be an active and productive resource for all of my students, whether or not they choose a career in the criminal justice field or are taking the subject matter as an elective to another professional career choice.