My best teaching has been a result of collaboration, a perspective I repeat over and over to my students. While in school, our teachers and professors terrorize us to be wary of plagiarism and punish us for cheating off of others, but then expect group work to be fruitful and forthcoming. Part of my goal is to help students become more comfortable with asking for help, not just of me, but of their peers, and to develop mentors and resources -- skills that will help them succeed in many aspects of life beyond the classroom. We can then cultivate good judgment about when we are being dishonest with other's ideas -- we all know when we are being treacherous -- and when we are, in good faith, building thoughts and brainstorming together. With this comfort comes the ability to let go of flawed or incongruous work, and truly revise, re-envision, our projects to make them stronger.
It is in this spirit that I share all of my syllabi online, as well as pedagogical resources I have enjoyed over the years. I hope that another educator may find them helpful, or that with critique of my plans, we can strive for better education of our students. The engaged teacher cannot help but have engaged students.
Institutions where I have taught include Louisiana State University, Xavier University (New Orleans), Delgado Community College, and the Bard Early College Program in New Orleans. If you aren't familiar with this incredible program sponsored by "Big Bard" in upstate New York, enjoy this quick video. I have also contributed to Lusher Charter High School as a writer-in-residence, and a teaching artist with the Youth Empowerment Project, helping youths 17-24 work towards high school equivalency or work placement following incarceration, rehab, or other avenues that prevented them from finishing school.
My training is in creative writing, I hold an MFA, yet I am fortunate to teach other classes beyond core composition. If you are interested in my education and background, I offer my CV.
Those classes have included:
ENGL 2005, Introduction to Writing Short Stories
ENGL 1020, Composition and Literature ENGL 1020, Composition and Southern Literature
ENGL 1010, Composition and Rhetoric, using Food & Food Ways
First Year Seminar, Bard Early College : What is the Ideal Society?
First Year Seminar, Bard Early College : What is Identity?
ENGL 1002 Sophomore Writing (Argument) ENGL 2002, Business Writing