I have an MFA in English (Creative Writing, Fiction) from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM. I had taught three English 111 courses in Rhetoric and Composition and two English 211 courses: one based on Research, Reading and Writing about Immigrant Experience; and the second based on Research, Reading and Writing in Revolutionary Thought. I have also taught an English 218 course in Scientific and Technical Writing. I was a Writing Center tutor for three years. In the Writing Center I worked with everyone from freshmen to PhD's, and many ESL students.
The pedagogy I have learned during teaching is informed by the idea that a good education is fostered through learning on both sides of the delineation between teacher and the taught. I feel that learning can only happen in an environment where that boundary is altered to allow for mutual learning in integrative, and creative ways, with that learning, in turn, fostering bold independence and critical thinking. In a world of competition, as a teacher I have always attempted to use uplifting inspiration for collaborative and collective advancement through a consensus-based approach. The minds of the students should be kindled to allow for a more democratic society, not just in a social sense, but also in the collective world of ideas. To this end, I want to work closely with people to find and encourage passions. I’ve learned to engender creativity, which is different from mere manufacturing, which can often be the reproducing of what is already produced.
. I am diligent, passionate about teaching and pedagogy, in general, and I adore my students, as a rule, encouraging them to accomplish high levels of proficiency not only in English, writing and literature (including poetry), but to shift their focus to an open-minded and daring appraisal of and all manner of concerns, in order to ready them for a hunger and a healthy, wholesome curiosity for learning.
New Mexico State University
Masters
English (Creative Writing, Fiction)
2015
The Evergreen State College
Bachelors
Creative Writing
2011
English