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, 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 ;-)
Hi, I'm Dr. V, your instructor! Some of you know me from our ENGL300 grammar class ;-) I'm a translator, a certified IL high school teacher (German; endorsements French and English), and a 3rd-year college professor at SIU. I took ENGL485a myself when I was in the M.A.T. program at SIU in 2006-7!!! So I'm handing down all the good stuff I had to learn--plus some new additions... My hobbies are international travels, music, photography, grammar, and reptiles. My websites are www.siu-voss.com and www.lzrdgrl.com. I hope you'll enjoy this course. Since we're a small class (13 people), I expect lots of power and energy. We'll do plenty of hands-on activities, such as grading real HS students' essays. We'll also learn some theory behind teaching writing. So who are you???
ReplyDeleteHey! Elizabeth Ingram here. I'm currently in the MAT program here at SIUC. My husband's in his last year of law school and we plan on ending up somewhere in either the Springfield or St. Louis areas, since that's close to my parents and in-laws, as well as being around where we grew up.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a lot of different tiny central or southern Illinois towns, of which most people have never heard, but if you know anything about West Frankfort, Nokomis, White Hall or Rochester, those are the places I went to school. I moved around a lot because my dad used to be a pastor (now he's a Chaplain for a hospice program...way to pick a depressing job, Dad!--but he's good at it.).
I started my undergraduate career at the University of Illinois at Springfield and finished with a B.A. in English from SIUC. My emphasis was creative writing, so now I'm making up lots of literature classes for state licensure. I'm really nerdy about English, though, and you can feel free to laugh at me when I get too excited about prepositions and meter. :) All the people who love me do that, too.
Hello everyone! My name is Alexandra Rude, Alex for short. I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois (which is located just about as far north as you can go in this state without crossing over into Wisconsin). I am a senior at SIUC, and currently work on campus as a Desk Assistant in Neely Hall. I plan to student teach this upcoming spring, which I am both nervous and excited to do! I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, and LOVE to go on trips to just about anywhere.
ReplyDeleteHello! I'm Emily. I am an English major wanting to teach in a high school, or surprisingly enough, middle school. I love photography, reading, animals, nature, traveling, and pretty much everything outside. I want to become a teacher because I enjoy learning something and sharing it with others. Seeing a child's look on their face when something clicks, or a light bulb goes off, is the most rewarding feeling. A goal of mine that I hope to accomplish when I teach is to change a child's perspective of reading and let them pick out a book for pleasure rather than an assignment. Oh yeah, I'm student teaching this spring, so I hope to learn as much as I can before I step into the real world. (:
ReplyDeleteHello! I'm Kelsey Kinkade. Currently, I am a student at SIU-C studying English Education for both middle school and high school. I plan to also get a certificate for cheerleading. I'll receive my bachelor's degree in three years, which I am very excited. My hobbies include traveling, reading, grammar, and movies. I have been to France, Italy, Switzerland, and of course, USA. This summer I plan to visit England, and in the future, I plan to visit Australia. I'm from the country and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love working on the farm and taking care of my pigs. I'm very excited to graduate in May!
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm Kate Belden. I started at SIU last fall after after a ten year break from school. Wow that makes me feel really old! I am originally from Minnesota and was transplanted in Southern Illinois seven years ago with my husband and two children. I am hoping to move back there after my husband graduates in the Spring of 2012. Unfortunately, I do not have much time for hobbies, but if I did, they would probably involve paint.
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm Tanena. I'm an elementary education major with my concentration in math. I'm also working for endorsements in science, English and social studies. I love learning and showing others they can learn too. I can't wait to be working with kids on a daily basis. As for my hobbies, I've been collecting rocks since I was four years old and I love photography. I have tons of interests and very little time, but I always make the most out of life!
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Derrick James and this is my third semester at SIUC. I live over an hour away, near Mt. Vernon, IL, and I commute here two days a week to attend classes.
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to be an English teacher for a long while. My two major sources of inspiration are both past teachers. First is Mrs. Elaine Hemker from my grade school, Opdyke-Belle Rive Grade school. She fostered my love for reading and writing, and helped me to develop my skills therein. She was the person who helped turn my interests toward a field in English. It was not until high school, however, that I really considered being an educator in the field. My freshman year allowed me to meet a teacher at Mt. Vernon Township High School named Mr. Jeremy Mays. His classes were always interesting and fun. I had him numerous times in high school, and I always enjoyed his classes; they were among those that I looked forward to the most. Through his positive attitude and enjoyable, effective methods of instruction, I became even more excited about my field in English and the posibility of one day being able to share the joy that I felt about English with a new generation of students.
Any time a person takes on a journey toward a career, he or she will always hit obstacles. There have been times when I have doubted my choices that led me to become a teacher. So is the case with me, as well. I have had my battles and my doubts, mostly from the lack of excitement of being out of any teaching experience. When, however, I came to a point where I could actually teach and interact with real students again, my interest grew as a result of that contact that I had previously been missing. I find during such times that I am good at what I will one day be doing, and I really enjoy sharing my base of knowledge with young people. This is what keeps me going toward my goal; I am good at teaching, and I love to do it.
In close, and it has been a long journey here, I am a quiet person until you get to know me, but once you open me up I have a hard time shutting up. I love to meet new people, but am shy at startup so give me a little help and I'm ready to go. I read, I write, watch movies and some tv shows, and work at a local restaraunt in Mt. Vernon during the times that I am not here in class. I'm hardworking and dedicated to what I do, and when there is something that I want I don't mind putting in the time and effort to achieve it if I want it badly enough. Overall, I suppose that surmises me and my attitudes to a reasonable degree for this particular purpose.
Hello, my name is Zachary Solomon. I'm double-majoring in Secondary English Education and Cinema (specializing in screen-writing). I was born and raised in St. Louis, but I'm not sure at the moment where I'll end up after I graduate SIUC. I got into English education because I think writing is essential for almost everything in life. I had the most enjoyment in school with my writing classes, and I thought it would be cool to foster creativity and writing skills to other students in high school. My interests include music (classic rock and blues mainly), learning guitar, and of course, watching lots of movies.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Leah Williams. I am a freelance writer by day, and I write mostly about bands, books and music. I have tutored junior high, high school and college students. I have three kids at home: my two-year-old son Matthias, my thirteen-year-old stepson Mikey and my twelve-year-old stepdaughter Magen. My hobbies include reading, writing, traveling and playing my bass guitar. One unique talent I have is winning radio contests. Next spring I plan to take a vacation to Orlando thanks to a contest I won earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm Sami Jo Holland(married name:Goetting). I am finishing my bachelors degree in Secondary English Education with a middle school endorsement. I am a mother to a fabulous, hyper-active, enthusiastic 2 year old which makes my journey a little more interesting. :) I want to be an English teacher because I want to inspire students to want to learn and engage in this subject. My hobbies include: working, being a mommy, being a wife, reading, and photography. I enjoy meeting many different types of people because everyone has a story, and we could all stand to learn a little something from those we meet.
ReplyDeleteHello! I'm Abby Morgan, and I'm currently completing my Bachelor's degree in English Education. I have one semester left of classes before I finally student teach, and I'm very excited about that idea!
ReplyDeleteI've lived in Mt. Vernon, IL, my entire life. Because I'm from a rural area, I really enjoy the quiet life, and my favorite things to do in my free time are to spend time with my family and play with my pets. I have three dogs and two cats, and I adore them all!
I also enjoy spending a great amount of time on the internet, as well as watching television shows and movies. My current favorite shows are Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Bones, just to name a few. I used to work at a local Blockbuster store, so it's really difficult to pick a favorite movie. The first one that comes to mind at this moment is Man on Fire.
Hello! My name is Brandon Lukes, and I am currently a student in the MAT program at SIUC. I am from Bradenton, FL and I planned to moved back after I complete my graduate degree.
ReplyDeleteDuring my undergraduate years at SIU I was a member of the SIU Track-n-Field team and obtained a bachelor of science degree in management and marketing. I am currently training for 2012 Olympic Games and I hope to make the USA Olympic team as a 800 meter participant.
When I am not running or competing, I serve as a youth group leader at The Vine Church (Anyone interested in visiting our church is welcome),and I also enjoy reading, writing (poetry, personal journal,and etc...),listening to music (gospel, soul and jazz) and calling my mom.
I want to teach at the secondary level for a couple years because I want to mentor young males and help prepare them to be productive men in society, but eventually, I want to become a college professor because I love the literature taught at the collegiate level.
Hello all!!! My name is Renee and I am a senior here at SIUC. It is my goal to become a teacher of English as a Second Language. I really enjoy working with children and hope to be a positive role models in their lives.
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