“If you were to choose a liquid to come out of each of the tips of your index fingers, which liquids would you choose?”
My initial answers were water, the universal liquid, and coffee, the essential liquid for life. However, after I heard gasoline and liquid gold from another student, I definitely wanted to change my answer.
This bell-ringer was asked on a Monday morning by Rebekah Whitaker, visiting assistant professor of communication arts and director of debate, in my 8 a.m. Communications Theory and Research class.
Although I did not have any fingertips of coffee–preferably iced, with light cream and no classic–to wake me up, I definitely woke up after that question.
Whitaker begins every class period with an ice-breaker question similar to that one. She is passionate about facilitating good and positive communication and using questions to open up her class periods to aid in that.
As for her aspirations for her time at Union, she takes a unique approach that aligns with her passion for good communication. You would expect most professors to respond with “I want my students to really grasp the concept of …” when asked about their goals for the upcoming year. Although Whitaker definitely does want her students to grasp various communication concepts, she responds differently.
“I want to see the larger things that you can’t really quantify into a goal,” said Whitaker. “They are things like I want to see my students learn to be better people, and I want to inspire colleagues to be better teachers. It’s hard to count that as a tangible goal. I want to see my debaters do well, and yeah, I want them to bring some trophies home, but more so I want them to be a light when we are interacting with non-Christian debaters.”
Whitaker’s passion for cultivating good communication and wanting to become a debate coach came at a young age. When looking at colleges to potentially apply to, Union’s mission and Christian values fit right in her scope.
After teaching at secular schools throughout the years, such as Louisiana State University and the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Whitaker appreciates the unique culture at Union.
“The environment here is much more supportive, gracious, forgiving and loving. Our [Communication Arts] department especially is a gem that I hope people aren’t taking for granted,” said Whitaker. “The students here are different in wonderful and beautiful ways.”
When speaking about her students, different is not the only adjective Whitaker used. She truly values investing in her students, especially in this Christ-centered environment.
“I feel like there is a more gracious attitude overall with the students here,” said Whitaker. “They are more invested in each other, which I think is part of what it means to be a Christian. [Christianity] means you are invested in each other’s lives, and that hasn’t always been present in the classrooms I have been in at secular institutions. There have been some that have been more deeply invested in other’s lives, but not when I look at them as a whole.”
Not only does she feel encouraged by the relationships with her students, she feels as if the faculty and staff have fostered an environment that encourages her to achieve excellence in her career.
“Here, it’s more of a spiritual nourishing, and it is from the top all the way down to the bottom,” said Whitaker. “Everyone has been kind and generous and encouraging and pushing me to be better, to be more like Christ, and that has been something that I needed. So, just as much as I hope to serve Union, Union is very much serving me in that way. While this work has been very challenging, it has also been very refreshing and nourishing, and it has been a respite. It’s been peaceful for the most part in ways that I have never experienced in any of the other places that I have worked.”
Whether you are expecting to go into Whitaker’s class or office to learn about communication theories, research methods, or just life in general, you never know what to expect.
One thing you can definitely count on is an intentional conversation that will probably include her dog and whatever you’re approaching her about, with a lovely woman who is passionate about communication.
Photo courtesy of Neil Cole
