Student Reviews of My College Teaching
Dr. Robert Rubin was one of the best instructors I have ever worked with in my life. I had the honor to work with him in my junior year of high school through the Running Start dual enrollment program at Seattle Central Community College.
Dr. Rubin exhibited unparalleled command of American political and religious history. At the same time, he was able to bring humor to the classroom. In his anti-racist curriculum, he centered issues relevant to youth, such as the role of student activism in the civil rights movement. With Dr. Rubin’s guidance, I expanded my intellectual appetite for american history, economics, and sociology. I enjoyed exploring century’s long intellectual debates under the mentorship of Dr. Rubin
Dr. Rubin always made himself available to me, weather I had a question about the course material, or simply to talk about life as friends. He provided valuable criticism on writing assignments, inspiring me to improve even in areas I was already strong in, as well is giving me insight on how to improve in skills with which I struggled.
Tate V.
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Dr. Rubin's dedication and passion for his work has influenced me tremendously. It serves as a guiding force, something that I think of when I get discouraged. He had such an impact on me that I always advise my friends to take his classes.
Dr. Rubin taught with enthusiasm and offered dependable guidance in and out of class. He always reminded the class to be ethical and how important it was to be honest, both academically and in general, to honor and give due where deserving. He stimulated lively but respectful conversation in class. He consistently stressed that everyone was entitled to their opinion and even if we disagreed we should do so respectfully.
Sylvie M.
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I had the distinct pleasure of taking two classes with Dr. Rubin: American History to 1877 and America History, 1877 to Present. The first thing that one notices about Dr. Rubin is his inviting personality and welcoming disposition. As a recent transfer student, I was apprehensive about attending a new school in an unfamiliar place. One of the few people who was able to ease that transition was Dr. Rubin. My first semester with Dr. Rubin was pivotal for my transition.
Dr. Rubin inspires his students with his own fascination and breadth of knowledge in the subject matter. There seemed to be no question that befuddled him, and no question that he belittled, and no question that he did not dedicate the utmost sincerity and diligence toward while answering. The enthusiasm he brought to class each and every day made his class the highlight of my week.
I have never once seen Dr. Rubin conduct himself with anything other than punctuality, respect, and composure. I think it is fair to say that he is the ideal meld of a professional intellectual and a compassionate human being.
Calvin R.
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In our writing class, Dr. Rubin made the atmosphere in the classroom so comfortable and engaging that the students spoke up and discussed nearly as much as he. It was a place where I could share my feelings on controversial issues, without ever feeling awkward or worried about the response.
Thanks to careful guidance and encouragement from this outstanding professor, I found myself confident about writing and discussing ideas that I had never even considered before, One-on-one sessions outside of class were something I look forward to. There he was able to push me as a student, as a feminist, and as a writer. It is because of Dr. Rubin that I regained my faith in my college experience and it is because of him that my cultural lens has expanded so much.
Amanda D.
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Dr. Robert Rubin was the instructor for my "American History, 1877 to Present" course. Dr. Rubin 's talents and gift for leadership allowed for our course to be at once very informative and extremely compelling. He showed immense knowledge and enthusiasm, and the semester was a success. Dr. Rubin integrated student opinions, experiences, and knowledge into class discussions and activities, and seemed genuinely interested in how this input could supplement the study of American history.
Dr. Rubin's approachability and aptitude toward leadership supplements his intellect and ardor. Students felt comfortable asking question and taking part in activities, and Dr. Rubin was consistently open to student involvement and inquiry. The class period was well-structured so as to promote efficiency without ever feeling overly strict or unnecessarily controlled. Dr. Rubin's seemingly natural bent toward leadership allowed him to strike a delicate balance between these two extremes.
Nicolo D.
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Robert challenged me to think. He was encouraging, personable, and knew when to lend a helping hand or stand back and let us work things out on our own. . . . Great teachers are hard to find, and not just anybody can become a teacher. It takes a special type of person to do what teachers do and Robert Rubin is one of these special people.
What shines the most in Robert as a teacher is his personality. You can tell within moments from being in his class that he is passionate about teaching. Because we admired his teaching Professor Rubin was well respected. But that didn't stop him from loosening up to blow off some steam and talk about our weekends or what we watch on television. He was always trying to find new ways to help us learn. His class also helped me develop as a person. With such an open, trusting environment I had no trouble speaking up and participating more.
Sarah P.
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I am a former student of Professor Robert Rubin. The best way I can describe this man is that he commands respects rather than demanding it. His honesty and the way he teaches had us wanting to listen to him. He understood us as college students. We did not want to be treated as children, we wanted honesty while teaching. We saw that he understood and empathized with us. He fulfilled every need we had, without us even needing to tell him. When someone just knows, it makes it much better.
This man wasn't a Professor who read off of notes and stumbled over words. He was a Professor who made the classroom active and enjoyable. He would ask questions and allow us to share opinions and experiences. When he presented information, he did not have a bias. He would give us a task to put ourselves in other people of history's shoes, making us have to think about and examine documents to see why these people felt the way they did, even if it were against what we originally believed. This allowed us to gain perspective from opposing views and appreciate decisions and people of the past.
Overall, he proved to be a very kind and respectable person. Even during offie hours, I found him to be an exceptional role model for anyone of any age. I am glad to have had him to show me how great I gotta be as a future teacher. He is the standard that needs to be set for those who want to teach in life.
Roberto S.
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Dr. Rubin is a very conscientious and dependable person. His care for his students and passion for history were both clearly evident, making him one of the best professors I have ever had.
Dr. Rubin invited students to share their opinions regarding the controversial topics that were being studied in the course. I really admire this characteristic of his teaching style, and I felt that his interest in his students' thoughts helped the classroom a comfortable setting that encouraged learning, understanding, and personal growth.
Angela P.
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Dr. Rubin went above and beyond what any teacher has done for me in my pursuit of an education. Little did I know that his course would completely change my outlook on the world, and more importantly, on myself. Dr. Rubin did something that many of my previous professors had not done and that my current professors fail to do; he encouraged us to think for ourselves. When I attended his class, I felt as though I was actually learning about myself and my place in the world. It was such an invigorating feeling to be with a professor who truly cared. Dr. Rubin's passion to teach fuels his students’ passion to learn.
Dr. Rubin’s style of teaching is highly effective. He guided me in writing my paper by helping me understand fully what I wanted to write about. In class, we would explore the possibilities of writing and learned to properly edit and critique each other correctly. He turned our classroom into a thriving community of young students, each of us fascinated by our research and the development of our thoughts.
By meeting us one on one, Dr. Rubin got a chance to connect with us, and to help us personally with our research and papers. The fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to make sure his student’s were comfortable and heading in the right direction made me feel important. I can honestly say no professor has ever done that for me before.
Jonathan F.
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As a Christian the title of Dr. Rubin's writing course worried me a little. I thought the course might not be so open to religious views. After the first few discussions in class I felt open enough to discuss my experiences and views with the class on specific moral debates. Dr. Rubin maintained an open and welcoming environment to each student’s views, giving us the opportunity to share them to better serve the class and our arguments. He is very personable and has a very calm, intelligent manner which makes him very easy to talk to.
Alyssa C.
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I had Dr. Robert Rubin as a professor in my second semester at college. Dr. Rubin taught us in a humorous, lively, and consistently exciting way, and his personality, combined with his mastery of United States history, cemented him as one of my favorite professors not only in my college career, but in my educational history in general.
Unlike most professors, Dr. Rubin chose to teach the class things that we were not already painfully aware of. Instead of the class being taken up entirely by wars and large governmental milestones, he focused on many of the political and social aspects of American history that often were overshadowed by these events. He assigned editorials, pamphlets, philosophies, satires, and stories of the period to give a fuller and more engrossing understanding of that piece of history.
One of the most impressive traits Dr. Rubin possesses is a lack of bias in his learning. Very often, American history is whittled down to a blame game. Some will defend what the government did to the death, some will damn it for its actions. Some individuals may show favoritism to a certain group but chastise others. While Dr. Rubin has his own perspective regarding politics and society, he never let that interfere with his instructions. Every political movement and struggle was shown to the class with both its strengths and weaknesses, showing the gray area of politics and history, and letting the students individually draw their own conclusions over what was the right and wrong thing to do.
Dr. Robert Rubin has been, and will continue to be, a great influence to me in regards to academic and personal education. I am certain he will continue to inform and inspire those around him.
Michael T.
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It was my pleasure to have Dr. Rubin for a U.S. History class. At the writing of this letter, classes have been concluded for almost a month. Now that we students have a little more breathing room and time to reflect, I can write accurately that what impressed me so much about Dr. Rubin as a teacher and a person. He encouraged all of us to look for relevance from past events and make connections to the world we live in. More than anything else, from his first class, he stressed the most important toll we would need for his class was participation. This is what I found so compelling about Dr Rubin's class. He made it clear that without us he could not teach this class.
Though I never disclosed it in class, I am an army combat veteran of the Iraq War. it was this time in our class, through parallels in history, that I found the most personal, comparing events of the late 1960s with my own sliver of experience. I found Dr. Rubin's lectures on people like Abbie Hoffman and events like draft-card burnings and Pentagon levitations informative and humorous. At the same time I found some answers too. When yound people can find themselves directly involved, unwillingly in some instances, they take an interest.
In closing, I will say that this is what I found so enjoyable and memorable about having Dr. Rubin as a professor. He wants his students involved. To take an interest.
Gary W.