As an educator exemplary teaching experience at the postsecondary and K-12 level, I am skilled in and committed to fostering engaging, critical, and equitable learning spaces. I seek to co-create open and democratic classroom environments with students to critically and joyfully investigate rigorous academic research and challenging real-world problems. In my course designs, I prioritize student content preferences, personalized feedback, and ongoing mentorship, and I focus on how our learning is embedded in broader school, neighborhood, and national community. Leading with the belief that all learners bring expertise to a classroom, I aim to humbly facilitate opportunities that challenge and expand minds and honor the lived experiences of students.

At Providence College, I am a Civil Dialogue Faculty Fellow with Providence College’s Dialogue, Inclusion and Democracy Lab, where I am working to incorporate deliberative practice into my active learning curricula, and am involved in the Center for Teaching Excellence and Center for Engaged Learning. While in graduate school, I was a Graduate Fellow for Inclusive and Equitable Teaching at the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation.

My inclusive and engaging teaching has been generously acknowledged. I received the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Graduate Students (2022) and the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students (2019).

The following is a small sample of student feedback that highlights my teaching commitments:

Abi was an incredible TA and overall mentor for students throughout this course. She was kind, compassionate, understanding, reasonable, relatable, and knowledgeable on the subject matter. This semester also marked the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic, and Abi was quick to adapt and reassure students that we would be okay and that the learning process would continue onward. She was approachable and understanding in a way that made going to her recitation an enjoyable experience, and she treated her students as equals and as a colleagues, rather than as an obligation. I am incredibly grateful for her knowledge and insight and kindness, and I thoroughly believe she is deserving of this award and recognition.

Abi was the best TA (and instructor in general) I have ever had at Penn. Her pedagogical approach incorporated various mediums (videos, pictures, art, text) and accommodated various interests from students. What I appreciated about her the most was that she allowed every student to speak. She listened not to respond to each student, but rather to understand each one. She cared what we had to say. One moment that particularly had a profound impact on me was when she prefaced discussions about sensitive topics with statements about inclusivity. She saw how the social, political, and economic topics were not just theoretical, but also impacted our day-to-day lives. She celebrated the diversity of experiences and thoughts in the classroom. Abi has inspired me to become a teacher. I hope that one day I can have as much of an impact on a student as Abi has had on me.

Professor Dym made this class legitimately interesting, even though it was a required course to me and most people in the class. I also felt safe to voice my opinion, even though I am pretty sure she and I hold very different political views. I have never really felt like I could safely state my political opinion while knowing that the prof. would figure out how to relate it back to the topic of the day and honor my view. But I did in Prof. Dym’s class. Very cool. Absolutely worth taking this class even if not in the major. One of the best teachers I’ve ever had.

Professor Dym is exactly what an instructor should be. On my first paper, she gave me a lot of feedback for improvement on my writing and organizational style. Rather than leaving me to figure these things out on my own, she worked with me for multiple weeks in a row workshopping my next paper. She was there to teach. She loves to see improvement in her students work, and she really makes sure that each student gets one-on-one time to make these improvements.

Abi was an excellent discussion facilitator. As someone who often has trouble speaking up in class, I felt very comfortable participating in her recitation. Abi encouraged us to voice contradictory opinions and perspectives while retaining an environment of respect and sensitivity. Her recitations were always extremely engaging; she used assigned recitation materials in combination with everything from short videos that we would watch together in class, to breakout exercises (e. g. simulated policy development or decision-making situations).

Teaching CV

Postsecondary Teaching

*Instructor of Record
**Lead TA
+Lead Curriculum Designer
(#) Semester taught if more than one

Providence College, Providence, RI
Undergraduate:
Intro. to Service in Democratic Communities*+
Best Practices in Community Engagement*+

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
CTL - Teaching Certificate   
Graduate:
Inclusive & Equitable TA Training Course*+
Politics of Education Policy*(2)
Educational Policy and Research**+ (2)  
Public Communication                                
Undergraduate:
The Public Policy Process** (3)                     
Introduction to American Politics
Election Law and the 2020 Election**  
Classic American Constitutional Law         
Youth Voter Engagement (ABCS)**+                      

K-12 Teaching

*Head Teacher
+Lead Curriculum Designer
(#) Years taught

K-12: Hartford Public Schools, Hartford, CT
High School Social Studies *+ (3)
K-6 Social Studies, Reading, Math *+ (2)     
Civics & Service-Learning (AmeriCorps) *+(2)