Hi ENGL485a students,
Welcome to our course, "Teaching Writing"!!!
The first thing we'll do is to introduce ourselves in a short blog comment to this entry. Please post something you want us to know about yourself (e.g., why you want to become a teacher, what you are still unsure about regarding teaching writing, your own experiences in HS, what you want to do better, where you observe/student teach, your hobbies, your interests, your websites...).
This blog will be shared with a local high school teacher for an essay exchange with his students when we get to our "grading HS students' essays" session--so please write only things he can share with his classes ;-)
Here's a short introduction from your instructor:
Hi future English HS teachers,
I'm a fourth-year lecturer at SIUC and have taught ENGL101, 102, 290, 300, and 485a so far. I am German, and my first M.A. is in translation. I have studied in St. Petersburg, Russia (1993); Dijon, France (1995); and here at SIU (1997). My second M.A. is a Master of Arts in Teaching from SIU (2007), and I am a certified IL high school teacher for German, French, and English. I did my student teaching at Carbondale Community High School in 2006-2007 (in the M.A.T. program; we still got a free Dell laptop back then!!) However, I prefer to teach the older generation!! Guess why ;-)
I have a Ph.D. in English (2003) and am currently getting one in Curriculum & Instruction, working with a writing-disabled middle school student (case study); so yeah, I'm a student, too ;-) You never stop learning. My hobbies are playing the piano, travels, photography, reptile breeding (http://www.lzrdgrl.com/), and TEACHING! I am also grading your Gateways and supervising your Capstone exams, so our paths will cross again. I'm excited to get to know you all. I already know some of you who survived my grammar class ;-) Have fun in our "Teaching Writing" class!
Hi. I'm Derek Bennett. I am a senior and this is my last semester of regular classes before students teaching. I have been married for almost five years to my wife Rebecca and we have a son named Ogden. I love spending time with my family. I also enjoy gardening and playing music.
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Michelle Sturgill. I have always thought teaching to be interesting and since I love English so much, I'm hoping that I can pass on the love that I have discovered onto the students within high school. I know from my experience in high school that a lot of students don't seem to be interested in some of the material, so I hope to discover ways to make it interesting for them. My hobbies include reading and writing when I have time.
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm Kelsey Wanack. I am a senior at SIUC and I student teach next fall! I am super excited about this experience and cannot wait to graduate so that I can move! :)
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI am a junior majoring in Secondary English Education. I was a Social Work major but switched last year to Education. I have always loved and had a passion for English and felt that I wanted to do something in the field. I have also wanted to work with kids so I figured Education would be a good fit. I plan on getting my masters in Curriculum and Instruction but I just have to make it to graduation before I plan all of that out. I would really prefer to teach American Literature in high school but with the way the job market is right now I am sure I will be fine with whatever I am offered. I look forward to the rest of this class!
Hey everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Stile Smith, and I'm a junior at SIU studying English education. I took a bit of a different path to this major, as I originally came to Carbondale to become a sports writer. After working for the Daily Egyptian for two years, I realized that wasn't the path I really wanted to go, so I switched to English ed. The biggest reason I switched was that I knew teaching high school students is something I would be passionate about.
I spent last semester in Education 313 observing at Murphysboro High School. Most of the classes were all seniors, with a sophomore class thrown in for fun. This semester will be a bit of a change for me, as I'll head out to West Frankfort to observe in an 8th grade class for Education 316.
I am a huge sports fan. Basketball has been and always will be one of my biggest passions. I played varsity basketball for four years at Centralia High School, earning all-South 7 and all-southern Illinois honors. I would like to join the coaching ranks by getting a job with the basketball team when I get my first teaching job.
Hi, my name is Kendra, but most of my friends call me Keena. I lived the first few years of my life in the Philippines where I learned English. My culture is very important to me and as a result I still practice our customs here in the States. I have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes; boring. I moved to a small, country town where I attended the local high school (home of the Indians) for all four years. My passions in high school were playing the clarinet and running on the track team. My hobbies are cross-stitching, reading, writing, running, and playing my clarinet. I'm extremely close to my family and I love going to school. I've wanted to be an English teacher for as long as I can remember. My English teachers in high school were great mentors to me and I hope to be that person for a student in my future as well.
ReplyDeleteHi. My name is Chelsea Donoho. I am a senior and will be taking one summer course after this semester before student teaching this coming fall. I graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in Illinois. I also attended Rend Lake College for two years before transfering to SIUC. I have played the violin for 12 years and work in a public library in Mt. Vernon where I currently live.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tim and I'm presently a PhD student in Philosophy at SIU. I received my MA in Philosophy and my BA in English and Philosophy at Loyola Chicago, and I will hopefully be accepted into the MAT program here at SIU. After about five years of working with high school aged students, I figured it was time to do what I actually love. And so I jumped ship from philosophy to living and doing *something* that affects others as opposed to sitting around and theorizing all day. That's not to say that I don't absolutely love philosophy; I think literature is a great vehicle for an author's philosophy and reflections on what it is to be human, what we ought to do, and how we should perceive the world. That being said, I'm excited to be on the path to becoming a high school English teacher.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kevin Todd Kurecki. I am a senior here at SIUC and I love creative writing but my passion is English. I love to write poetry and I love writing letters. I wish to teach out near the West Coast, preferably in Oregon. I really can't wait to student teach. I will continue to get my bachelor's degree here and I will hopefully transfer to a school out West. I am an avid photographer and I love nature as well.
ReplyDeleteHi there Nolan Ragan here. I have a year left at SIUC before I graduate. I love to write and read when I have the extra time. Once I graduate I hope to find a job near southern illinois.
ReplyDeleteHello. My name is Melissa Coe and I am excited to become a high school English teacher. I've always loved English, and I believe I will be able to pass that appreciation onto my future students. I'm also double majoring in Spanish, not only for its practicality, but for my love and interest in foreign languages After I graduate, hopefully I will relocate to a warmer, bigger city.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Zachary Solomon. I'm double majoring in Cinematography (Screenwriting) and Secondary English Education here at SIUC. I enjoy music, films, and video games. I used to write regular reviews of video games for a number of years in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before I transferred to SIUC. I think writing is important and fun, and that's why I entered the English Education program.
ReplyDeleteHello all,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Patrick McDonald. I have a BS in History Education. I am coming back to college to get an endorsement in English. I am married with three children.
I decided to be a teacher because I have a desire to help teenagers make the right choices beyond the textbooks. I want to see every student succeed.
My student teaching and substitute teaching has molded my desire to be a teacher. I went thinking it would easy money with 3 months off. I also love History and Political Science, so i thought this would be perfect match. After spending real time in a classroom. I saw so many children slipping through the cracks. This led to me changing how i thought of the profession and my personal want to be a teacher. I now see teaching as tool to help teenagers that has not been giving many chances to succeed.
On a different note, I am a huge sports fan. I played baseball and basketball in high school. I know I can't play anymore, so I guees the next best thing is to coach.