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One encounter with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Rachel Tennial, PhD, is all it takes to become motivated by her brightness. An assistant professor of psychology, Tennial is an “SIUE Difference Maker” who brings an ethic of care to her teaching.

“Leading with care and concern for students as humans and individuals is one of the most important things I should be doing as an educator,” shared Tennial, who joined the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) in 2020. “The past two years have been joyous, but also challenging in many ways. The pandemic has made me up the ante as far as caring for students. It has pushed me to normalize conversations in class about mental health and well being.”

Junior Halle Rickhoff nominated Tennial as an SIUE Difference Maker in acknowledgment of the faculty member’s tremendous influence and dedication to supporting students.

“Dr. Tennial was always supportive, and was one of the best professors I can have asked for,” shared Rickhoff. “She puts her students first and always knows what we need. She is an amazing role model.”

Tennial’s scholarly interests include exploring racial/ethnic identity, sexual identity and examining colorism. She also studies topics related to the scholarship of teaching and learning. She prioritizes and builds rapport with students with a focus on creating an inviting and safe environment for learning.

“The concept of levity has been most impactful in that I have found that there are three key components to consider when trying to create a comfortable environment: positivity, lightness, and mutual respect,” she explained.

According to Tennial, the positivity component involves creating a space that is open and as free from judgment and assumptions as possible. Her classes establish ground rules for how to engage with each other during class discussions and correspondence.

Lightness is achieved by integrating socio-emotional learning into the class environment. She utilizes one-minute grounding meditation exercises at the start of each class period. Students have shared that this helps them get settled and focused, and has made a constructive difference in both online and face-to-face courses.

Mutual respect is another important factor. “It means recognizing that my students are whole persons and that there are a variety of factors and barriers that they encounter which have an impact on their performance in my course and their other course,” Tennial said.

Acknowledgement of the whole person led Tennial to thoughtfully review and revise course policies, the work she assigns and her approach to class meetings.

“This has allowed me to relax on some things while reinforcing others,” she shared. “The mutual respect component has taught me to be clear on my priorities as an educator and to not sweat the small stuff with my students. This has been freeing in many ways.”

As she leads with care and concern as an educator, she reminds students to be gentle with themselves. A consummate teacher-scholar, Tennial gains energy from her students. And, that energy confirms her calling.

“My students motivate me to keep pushing forward in my teaching, scholarship and service,” she said. “Being with my students is energizing. Hearing their stories, seeing them grasp an idea, and reading the beautiful work they produce warms my heart and reminds me that I am exactly where I need to be.”

Photo: SIUE Difference Maker Rachel Tennial, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology.