Biology
Rebel Sanders is a professor of Biology at Austin Community College (ACC), where she primarily teaches Anatomy & Physiology, Biology for Non-Majors, and Cellular & Molecular Biology. She is passionate about creating engaging, inclusive classrooms where students feel comfortable asking questions, making connections, and tackling challenging material. A recipient of the NISOD Teaching Excellence Award and graduate of the ACC Teaching and Learning Academy, Rebel is especially interested in active learning, case-based teaching, metacognition, and preparing students for careers in healthcare and science. She also enjoys collaborating with and learning from other faculty.
How has your community college teaching experience shaped your character over your career?
Community college teaching has probably shaped my character as much as I hope my teaching has shaped my students. It has taught me humility in that being an expert in my discipline does not mean I always know the best way for every student to learn. My students bring different backgrounds, responsibilities, strengths, and challenges into the classroom, and they have taught me to listen, adapt, and learn about what might help them succeed. Teaching difficult science courses has also strengthened my patience and perseverance. It has made me more willing to experiment, reflect on what did and did not work, and change my approach rather than blame the learner. Most importantly, my students have continually reminded me that education is about more than mastering content. It is about confidence, curiosity, and becoming someone who believes they are capable of doing difficult things. Over the course of my career, teaching at a community college has made me a more reflective and compassionate educator and person.