My vision is to be a calm, patient, and present leader in steadfast civic service who creatively and compassionately fosters growth of hearts and minds.

This is why I teach. I have the opportunity to foster growth in students as individuals and future dental hygienists. As I teacher I love a student’s a-ha moments of growth and making connections, but I also recognize and value how a student’s mistakes and struggles in the program yield growth, too. Part of my job is to help students see failure as fertilizer. In clinic and the classroom, I strive to create a climate of kindness, curiosity, and commitment that nurtures and challenges my students. I collaborate across campus to create engaging socio-emotional and critical thinking learning experiences. I feel a great sense of responsibility to my students, my team, and our community to promote excellence in dental hygiene.

Students describe me as a caring professor who makes them think. Working together with my faculty team, I have witnessed how collectively our teaching behaviors can empower students such as the one who wrote me the unsolicited letter below in 2016. She is responding to a talk I gave the class at our last class session after three semesters. I have included this letter because she talks about her growth not only in clinical skills but also in managing her emotions and her self-esteem: growth that I am delighted and proud to take part in.

Dear Ms. Curry-Chiu,

I just wanted to let you know that your feelings in class today are completely reciprocated. I’ve been so lucky to have you as a professor and a cheerleader in clinic. I’ll never forget the day in clinic when you were my quad instructor and I had to complete sub-g scaling on not the most ideal patient. That was also my first day of giving LA on a patient. You’ve always helped with my confidence and making me feel capable.  That day for me was the day that I realized I can do this. I was so happy to have you there guiding me that day. I think about how far I have come due to nerves and whatever else has kept me from performing my best, and that day I was able to put it all aside and I was so proud of myself. Thank you for your patience and guidance. JCCC is so lucky to have you and I love and respect you so much. I hope to continue to grow and I just wanted to let you know how much everything you have done for me hasn’t gone unnoticed. I feel like I could keep writing forever about how grateful I am but I’ll end it here. Thank you so much again.

Sincerely, (Student)

1. Evaluate the feasibility of an honors pathway within Dental Hygiene.
   • Compare dental hygiene program requirements to honors program requirements.
   • Identify opportunities for honors dental hygiene course(s) and/or honors contracts.
   • Verify status of existing honors dental hygiene courses/contracts in the system.
   • Present to faculty for feedback, revision, and approval.
2. Enhance active learning activities in General and Oral Pathology.
   • Build upon success of Act it Out: The Acute Inflammatory Response.
   • Develop a learning activity for the Cell.
   • Develop a learning activity for the Immune Response.
3. Revise the intra-oral and extra-oral exam documentation in the Clinic Manual.
   • Research required documentation on WREB and CRDTS exams and any CODA requirements.
   • Research dental health education publications for current practices.
   • Seek input from preclinical and anatomy faculty.
   • Draft alternative documentation procedures.
   • Present to faculty for feedback, revision, and approval.

Teaching

Maggie teaches dental hygiene in classrooms, labs, and the JCCC community clinic. She is the Clinic II Coordinator and lead instructor of General and Oral Pathology. She assists the dental hygiene faculty team with clinic operations and oversees clinic software. Maggie proudly graduated with honors and civic honors from the JCCC Dental Hygiene Program.

College Service

Maggie represents the Health Care, Public Safety, and Wellness Division on the Honors, Writing Center, and Strategic Planning committees. She serves as a peer reviewer to the newest JCCC faculty members inside and outside of the division. Maggie served as an inaugural Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellow.

Community

Maggie enjoys community gardening in Kansas City, Missouri at Longfellow Farm and the Citizens of the World School Orchard & Gardens. She volunteers her clinical skills at events such as the dental Mission of Mercy. Recently Maggie joined Heartland Conservation Alliance as part of Project Blue River Rescue.