Title:
Collegiate Professor
Pronouns:
she, hers
Subject Areas
Writing
Literature
Speech
Education
PhD, Interdisciplinary Medieval Studies, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
MA, English Literature, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
MM, Music, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
BM, Music Education, Oral Roberts University
Teaching Locations
Wiesbaden, Germany
Email
Geri Henderson, “Dr. Geri,” has been a teacher since the age of 2. That’s when her first little sister was born. Four years later her class doubled when another sister was born. She has continued teaching ever since and is grateful her later classes were more appreciative of her efforts. Her first serious teaching was private music and musicianship lessons. There she learned to appreciate her students’ individual strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. She learned several other invaluable lessons as well. For one thing, students want to be successful, they weren’t playing wrong notes, for example, just to torment her! What she gained from years of music teaching has been important to her teaching philosophy. Successful classrooms and successful students are a cooperative endeavor between her and her students. Success is a shared goal, and she can facilitate that as soon as they discover, together, the best way to get there. In every subject she teaches, she incorporates feedback and revision as part of her teaching method. There are no formal lectures but short explanations and instructions. Teaching happens in the process of assignment feedback and the chance to learn and revise, which individualizes the teaching process.
Dr. Geri spent her early years in Jamaica, a country she calls her “heart home.” Her service dog’s name, Jami (Jamaica), honors her love for the land. Her first 2 degrees were in music. After her MM, she completed an MA in English and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Medieval Studies. Her career has taken her all over the world including Jordan, Bahrain, Lithuania, Lebanon, Japan, Korea, and now Germany. She has worked for UMGC for 10 years and has found it among the most fulfilling of her career because she admires the motivation and determination of UMGC students.