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‘Been there, done that!’ The benefits of a teacher who is a scholar-practitioner

The convergence of the scholar and practitioner mindsets helps to create informed criminal justice practices, policies, decisions and services

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Students represent a large subculture within the university environment and their views of a professor can be quite powerful.

Photo/In Public Safety

By Dr. Michael Pittaro, Faculty Member, Criminal Justice at American Military University

Students of criminal justice can benefit immensely from a professor who has “been there, done that.” We refer to an individual who has practical experience, as well as a terminal degree, as a scholar-practitioner. My own experience with teaching began in 2002 simply to supplement my full-time income as a corrections administrator, but after teaching my first Introduction to Criminal Justice class, I realized how much I truly enjoyed teaching. I encourage others to think about following this “scholar-practitioner” track.

To me, teaching is and always will be a rewarding career. Unlike many private-sector business positions, which typically pay more and in which exemplary work is often tied to some type of tangible monetary reward or incentive, the rewards associated with teaching are mostly internal and tied to satisfaction, fulfillment, happiness, and contentment. Simply stated, there is no greater feeling than knowing that you played a small, yet hopefully essential role, in shaping someone’s life.

The Impact of a Good Teacher

Since 2002, I have taught at a number of universities (online and face-to-face) and something I’ve noticed over the years is that educators who exude passion and fervency will always leave a positive impact.

These educators emphasize the importance of lifelong learning both in and out of the classroom, and take a vested interest in the personal and professional successes of their students and colleagues. These are the educators who find immense purpose and meaning in their careers.

From their students’ perspective, a professor’s level of interest and enthusiasm will be apparent within the initial weeks of the semester.

Students represent a large subculture within the university environment and their views of a professor can be quite powerful. They will advise their peers as to which professors should be pursued and which professors should be avoided. Moreover, in today’s digital age, their discontent with a professor will often find its way to social media, which can tarnish the program and university. Of course, this is not unique to higher education and likely present in most, if not all, professions.

I have found that students tend to gravitate toward registering for classes in which the professor has had lengthy “on-the-job” experience and held leadership positions within the field. These professors are able to share their experiences with their students, breaking down the dichotomy that has traditionally existed between those who study crime and offenders and those who work directly in the area.

Bringing Practical Experience into the Classroom

A criminal justice scholar-practitioner not only brings in “real-world,” “real-life” stories, but also provides helpful career support and guidance that, for the most part, would be difficult to articulate in a textbook. For example, how to testify in court – what to say and what not to say, how to dress, and how to handle an attorney’s line of questioning, particularly if the questioning is perceived as a personal/professional attack on your credibility. In addition, the criminal justice scholar-practitioner often has administrative experience from leadership positions during their careers. Therefore, they can provide first-hand insight and direction in what it takes to move up the proverbial ladder of success.

The role of the scholar-practitioner is not just to teach the foundational material associated with the career, but also to create future leaders who possess strong interpersonal skills, exceptional critical thinking and analytical skills, solid ethical insight and professionalism, and the ability to manage internal and external conflict. The scholar-practitioner’s goal is to combine and apply research, theory, and practice in order to advance the profession. Such scholarship can be used to legitimize evidence-based best practices or to justify initiatives, advocate for important resources, and validate or negate findings.

When you have a professor who embraces the scholar-practitioner approach, you have someone who is in constant dialogue with his or her inner-scholar and his or her inner-practitioner. The convergence of the scholar and practitioner mindsets helps to create informed criminal justice practices, policies, decisions, and services that will ultimately advance the criminal justice profession.


About the Author: Dr. Michael Pittaro is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Security and Global Studies (SSGC) with American Military University and an Adjunct Professor at East Stroudsburg University. He is a criminal justice veteran, highly experienced in working with criminal offenders in a variety of institutional and non-institutional settings.

Before pursuing a career in higher education, Dr. Pittaro worked in corrections administration. He has served as the Executive Director of an outpatient drug and alcohol facility and as Executive Director of a drug and alcohol prevention agency. Dr. Pittaro has been teaching at the university level (online and on-campus) for the past 15 years while also serving internationally as an author, editor, presenter, and subject matter expert. He holds a BS in Criminal Justice; an MPA in Public Administration; and a PhD in criminal justice. Dr. Pittaro is a regular contributor to In Public Safety, an American Military University sponsored website. To contact the author, please email IPSauthor@apus.edu.

In Public Safety is an American Military University (AMU) sponsored blog that features analysis and commentary on issues relating to law enforcement, emergency management, fire services and national intelligence. This blog features in-depth discussions authored by leading experts with decades of experience in their field.

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