Jeffrey Trotter: An Unexpected Teacher

When Jeffrey Trotter was young, he promised both his mother (a remedial reading teacher) and his father (a principal) that he would "never, ever be a teacher." For many years, it seemed that Trotter would keep his promise. He established a career in youth ministries and contemplated jobs in outdoor wilderness work or full-time therapy. All seemed to be going as planned. However, in 2003 he broke his vow. He became an adjunct professor of education at Anderson University, where he has not only taken up the forbidden profession, but is also preparing young adults to become teachers as well! Fortunately, his parents are understanding. And students who have taken his classes know that Trotter was born to be a teacher.

Trotter grew up in the Chicago area and attended Olivet Nazarene University, majoring in religion and minoring in Greek. He met his wife, Tina, while at ONU, and they were married in 1984, the year Trotter graduated. "I was deeply rooted in the church," he states. "Working in the church was a real natural expression of what I knew, what I was familiar with." He therefore transitioned smoothly into youth ministries, working with the age group he has always enjoyed. "I love that late-adolescent idealism and passion," he declares. "Also, there’s … a willingness to question and examine what they’ve been taught. They’re still defining themselves and discovering who they’re wanting to be." The opportunity to "walk alongside" adolescents – counseling, guiding, and listening – this was Trotter ’s passion.

Trotter loved his position in youth ministries, but he wanted to supplement his religion degree with something more applicable to the work he was doing. "I wanted to understand students better and myself better," Trotter explains. Psychology had always interested him, and he felt a strong draw toward counseling. Wheaton College offered both a master’s degree in clinical psychology and a foundation in Christianity, and Trotter was soon back in the classroom. By 1992, Trotter had earned his first master’s degree, returned to the church, serving in roles from staff counselor to young adult minister. Eventually, he and his family moved to Indianapolis in order to serve a large Nazarene church.

In Indianapolis, Trotter worked for Michael Ross, whose wife, Dr. Diana Ross, is Dean of Anderson University’s School of Education (SOE). "I think she saw something in me that I didn’t see," Trotter muses, because after meeting him and hearing him preach, Ross asked him to join the SOE faculty. She had decided to meet student needs by dividing the class Child and Adolescent Development into elementary and secondary sections. The class lays the foundation for future teachers’ understanding of student growth, needs, and cognitive ability, as well as potential challenges and opportunities for educators. After dividing the course to make it more specific, Ross now needed someone to teach the future middle and high school teachers. Given his experience studying the adolescent mind, both academically and through his ministry, Trotter was perfect for the job. "I always enjoyed the teaching context," Trotter admits, "but it never occurred to me to be a professor." However, Trotter enjoys challenges, and he accepted this one, teaching his first class in 2003. Making the class more specific to elementary or secondary education majors was an instant hit. So was Trotter.

Trotter, however, ever humble, willing to learn, and loving a challenge, saw his first experience teaching as an opportunity to grow. "I knew I could do better," he remembers. He has since earned a master’s degree in School Psychology from Ball State and worked hard to improve the class, drawing on his experiences studying psychology and as a youth worker and a father. Because of his hard work and dedication, his students are thrilled with his classes. Sean Sullivan, a 2006 AU graduate who now teaches middle school science in Washington state, remembers, "I felt like I was learning something directly applicable to my chosen vocation." And Trotter’s commitment to his curriculum isn’t the only trait that stands out to his students. "You wanted to know him as a person, and not simply as an educator," continues Sullivan.  "In that sense, and in many others, he is an inspiration to us in the field of education."

When you do get to know Trotter outside the classroom, he is just as fascinating a person as he is a teacher. He and his family love outdoor activities like camping and kayaking. His wife, Tina Trotter, is a middle school English teacher, who also teaches an education course at Anderson University. They have three children ranging from 16 to 9 years old. Through parenting a teenager, Trotter has learned even more about the psychology of an adolescent. "It’s one thing to teach about theory; it’s another to put it into practice," he laughs. "It’s great in a classroom, but you add that emotional piece and relational dynamic, and that’s the challenging part…I believe you have to be willing to listen to kids and be willing to change your frame of reality. But that can be hard as a parent!"

For the school year of 2007-08, Trotter will be teaching his secondary version of Child and Adolescent Development, a more general version, and Educational Psychology. This year will be the first time Trotter teaches Educational Psychology, but he is more than qualified through his zeal for the subject, his master’s in School Psychology, and his current doctoral work in Educational Psychology. His Ph.D., which he plans to complete in 2009, will have an emphasis in neuropsychology – observing behavior in order to understand brain functions. After completing his degree, he plans to get involved in inner city education and clinical psychology.

As long as he stays in the classroom, however, AU education students will be happy. As a professor, Trotter radiates a quiet energy, charging students to participate in open discussion. He sits with the students, facilitating conversation. "If you can make the material personal, learning happens," he says. Because of the small classes at AU, Trotter finds it easy to lead classroom conversations about the material, students’ personal experiences, and how they connect. He leans forward in his desk, listening eagerly to a student’s response and bouncing another question to the class. However, Trotter does not assume the central focus of the discussions. "Teachers have to remember that we’re there for the students; they’re not there for us," he pronounces. The future teachers who pass through his class certainly learn from him and his approach. Dr. Ross reports, "I think that was the first time I ever saw this kind of evaluation [from a student]: ‘Professor Trotter rocks!’"

Although Trotter promised his parents years ago not to teach, he has established himself as an insightful, reflective, and enthusiastic professor. In fact, it was his parents who taught Trotter that people learn and grow far into their adulthood. With that in mind, Trotter has plunged enthusiastically into this new stage in his life. Bringing to bear his own passion, interest, and personal study of the minds of students, Trotter is helping future teachers to understand their own students, as well.