Making a difference in the classroom and abroad
When not skiing the “Beav,” eating sushi at the Black Pearl or traveling to help others in need, Dr. Ann Austin, professor of family consumer human development, can be found teaching in her classroom. If she is lucky, she will be teaching her favorite class, Human Development across a Lifespan (FCHD 1500).
“I love seeing the freshmen,” she said. “That is why I enjoy the lifespan class. It is great to see them so excited. Plus, I love being involved in their lives, they are so interesting.”
If she weren’t teaching today, Austin said she might be working with UNICEF giving medical help to those in need.
“If I could re-live one year of my life, it would be when I spent the time down in Suriname,” she said. “We were in a remote area; we had to walk to our camp. Or we had to drive a Land Rover to get around. I was deep in the jungle for three to four weeks at a time. When I would finally get to talk to my husband, I would find out that loved ones had passed away and a funeral had been held.”
Aside from teaching, Austin works with mothers in other countries, organizing programs to help them and their children develop. Austin said when she leaves during a semester to help, it is not as difficult as one might think. She said she trusts the undergraduate teaching fellows and teacher’s assistants she leaves her classes with.
“There was only one year, when I came back and found out class had been cancelled several times because my TA had sick children. I was disappointed,” she said.
“There is a point where your classes and students need to come first. Other than that, it has always been very easy for me to leave and know that my classes will be taken care of.”
Austin said she loves math. After high school she was afraid of taking a math class so her first years at college were math-less. It wasn’t until she had to take statistics in her master’s program that she realized how much she truly enjoyed it.
“I was terrified to start the class. I went and talked to the professor, he asked ‘Can you add and subtract?’ I told him I could and he said, ‘Then you will be just fine,'” Austin said.
If she had the chance today, Austin said she would be taking a math class on campus. She would love to be learning more about math and said she always tries to convince her students to feel the same, even though it doesn’t always work out that way. Students at USU may not like math, but according to Austin, USU students love to work hard.
“I have had many different opportunities to work at very nice colleges, Ivy League even, but I love the West. And the students here at USU. They work so hard, and are so excited about life. I love it,” she said.
Austin said her life hasn’t always fallen nicely into place. She said years ago, when wearing pantyhose was still popular, she had quite the mishap in her classroom. Even though she is not necessarily a tall woman, she does have longer legs. Her mother bought her short pantyhose mistakenly, but she was desperate one morning so she was forced to wear them. She pulled them on her legs, and headed to teach a class. During the lesson, the class started to joke and laugh, Austin right along with them.
“The more I laughed, I could feel my pantyhose inching their way down my legs.” Panicking, she faked a cough. She excused herself to get a drink because her “cough” was so bad, ran into the bathroom and took the pantyhose off.
“I don’t think anyone noticed,” she said. “But if they did, they were kind enough not to ever tell me.”
She said when she looks back to when she was 21, she remembered being constantly concerned and worried.
“I would have told myself to enjoy life,” Austin said. “Not to worry, everything will work out.”
–whitney.page@aggiemail.usu.edu