Each year, UIC honors some of its most dedicated and outstanding teachers with the Award for Excellence in Teaching. The winners, who receive a $5,000 salary increase, are selected by past recipients of the award from nominations made by departments and colleges.

P. Zitlali Morales
Professor, Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education

Years at UIC: 15

What courses do you teach, and what topics do you find most engaging or meaningful to teach?
At the undergraduate level, I teach pre-service teachers about the history of multilingualism in this country and how to think about emergent bilingual students from an assets-based perspective. At the master's level, I teach courses to in-service teachers who are in the process of obtaining their bilingual and ESL endorsements. And at the doctoral level, I have taught our introductory course for the Literacy, Language and Culture program; I teach a class called Biliteracy: Theory, Methods, and Practice, and I have also co-taught a study abroad class where graduate students learn about language policy and politics and visit the Basque Country in Spain.

I find it meaningful to teach across all different educational levels because the students are at such different points in their educational trajectories, but they are all curious and eager to learn, whether to make them better educators or better researchers.

What do you hope students take away from your courses?
I hope that students think about language more critically and the crucial role that it plays in learning. When we are blinded sometimes by our own biases about how people talk or see them as deficient for not speaking English in particular ways, we risk severely underestimating their intelligence or potential. It's important then to reflect on and understand our own biases that we have been socialized into and to recognize the connection between language and power, but also to have an appreciation for language practices which are playful. People use language for connection, for humor and to entertain others - so that's something teachers should expect from young students. I also love introducing the idea of teachers as researchers. It can be incredibly helpful for teachers to see their own students from a stance of inquiry and curiosity because knowing more about your students makes you a better teacher.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at UIC?
Our students! UIC students are brilliant, curious, resilient, and they care about their communities. And I would say the same thing about my colleagues.

What advice would you give to students interested in teaching careers?
It's the hardest job you'll ever love. But it's important to teach for the right reasons; you have to love learning and always be interested in becoming better at your craft.

What's something you've learned from your students over the years?
Students learn better when there's levity, and they appreciate connecting between theory and real life. Students consistently rise to the challenge of the current moment, and I look forward to seeing their contributions to our communities, our city and our country over time.