My main goal as a teacher is to show students how to think, feel and otherwise express themselves in an articulate manner. I operate under the presupposition that intelligence will only get a student so far; to achieve academic and personal excellence one must have command over his or her expressive faculties. As an English professor, I intend to represent what I see as the three fundamental aspects of the discipline: reading, interpreting, and expressing.
Reading texts - be they written, graphic, or otherwise - is absolutely essential in an English class. In a literature course the application is obvious as well as traditional, but in a process-oriented class such as composition it is equally vital. My composition students will spend a considerable amount of time reading texts. These texts will offer students solid techniques, methods and strategies for writing that they will be able to refer to whenever they need them. Also, textbooks are a prime method for introducing rhetoric as a discipline. As rhetoric is characteristically elusive and frequently complicated, a good text on the subject can serve as an anchor for students. Also, students are required to read each other’s papers, view each other’s presentations and generally participate in a communal reading experience. I can lecture until the sun goes down, but it will never be as effective as these kinds of hands-on experiences.
Once the students have done their reading, the next step is to synthesize and internalize the reading. A key strategy I utilize is class discussion. In these discussions, we focus on textbook readings that I have assigned. Each student will talk about what they found interesting about the reading, or perhaps what they found ineffective or inadequate. This method regularly brings the class to life as we navigate through difficult subjects. Online discussions on Drupal or Blogs are also extremely valuable. My students will interpret their own writing, as I carefully discuss their own improvable writing habits that I have noticed in their papers. As I never name names, discussing these habits in class is a fun activity as the students learn to laugh at themselves, all the while internalizing major lessons.
No English course, be it literature, linguistics, rhetoric or composition, is complete without writing assignments. Composing texts, hypertexts and visual compositions is essential to my goal as a teacher, which again is to empower students with the ability to express themselves articulately. It is important to me to introduce to students to the many avenues of expression that are open to them, which is why I do not focus on “the essay” as the ultimate form of expression. In our increasingly visual-based culture, compositional techniques like web design and graphic design, as well as presentations through programs such as iMovie or PowerPoint are indispensable.
Although I am no disciplinarian or cop, I run a tight ship. I allow revisions on papers, since writing is a process, but the revision must reflect serious consideration on the student’s part and can not just be a surface level correction based on my markings on their first draft. I also see great benefit in the one-on-one conference system that Purdue’s ICaP program implements. These conferences allow me to give individual attention to each student. Frequently, students will admit to or otherwise consider writing habits that they might be embarrassed about during these conferences. Finally, I follow a strict attendance policy to ensure a productive class experience for all.
Finally, my desire as a teacher is to be strict but fair; fun but consistently productive. My teaching style and general philosophy continues to grow and develop with each passing semester. I will hopefully never stop challenging myself in this respect.