Servant Teaching with Professor Jim Leightenheimer

In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Professor Jim Leightenheimer, associate professor of Communication at Cedarville University. He has a M.A. in Telecommunications Management from Ohio University. Mr. Leightenheimer—“Mr. L”—talks about mentoring students and equipping them for life after their undergraduate degree. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

“If we work marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill into them just principles, we are then engraving upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity.” - Daniel Webster 

Mr. Leightenheimer believes that a key element of servant teaching is knowing your students well. He does this by building relationships with them to identify their desires and skills. He wants to create a passion for course content but also wants to be more than just a content deliverer. This kind of approach to teaching requires time and investment in your students. 

Mr. L challenges faculty to meet with students outside the classroom, be it through co-curricular activities (in his case: through student-run radio “Resound,” conferences, and team-building trips) or through advising sessions. These activities create opportunities for us to recognize a student’s unique gifts and seek out opportunities for students so that they can use their gifts effectively.  

He also realizes the importance of preparing students for life outside of college. Mr. L makes connections with his network of alumni to help meet students’ needs of finding future employers. He has built a substantial network of professionals and alums to provide opportunities for students to connect with mentors.

• FOCUS Blog: Introducing Servant Teaching  
• FOCUS Blog: Servant Teaching: Listening and Learning 
• FOCUS Blog: Four Practical Steps For Servant Teaching