Amelia Hicks

Teaching

I offer academic advising and teach a wide range of math, humanities, and science courses at Bay State Learning Center, a self-directed learning center for teens. This work draws on over two decades of teaching experience, from my early years as a writing and classics tutor through ten years as a philosophy professor at Kansas State University.

My teaching approach has evolved around meeting students where they are and supporting them as they engage deeply with challenging concepts and problems. I've developed pedagogical techniques that de-emphasize quantitative assessment in favor of project-based learning with regular qualitative feedback. I believe that meaningful learning happens when students can focus on growth over grades. I prepare extensively for every class to create clear, structured frameworks within which students can freely explore and discuss ideas.

Whether teaching formal logic to teenagers or advanced seminars in moral theory to undergraduates, I work to make abstract concepts accessible by anchoring them in the concrete, real-world problems that theoretical frameworks can help solve. This approach has served me well across a wide range of classrooms, from introductory philosophy courses with 45+ students, to intensive independent studies, and now with teenagers who thrive in non-traditional learning environments.

Awards

In the Spring of 2021, I was Kansas State University's Arts and Sciences recipient of the Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. I was also the Teaching and Learning Center's highlighted teacher of the month. A few years before that, I was one of K-State's “Professors of the Week.”

Curriculum Vitae

Click here for my CV from Fall 2025, which lists all courses I've taught.