Skip to main content
Greetings Fellow PD-ers,

I introduce myself to you as I begin my second class in North Central College’s MALS program. After earning my BA in English from Providence College many years ago, I spent several years working in both full-time and part-time capacities in HR, banking, and fitness while also raising my three children.  My husband’s career change brought us to Illinois from Virginia almost twelve years ago.  Once the family was settled, I attended NCC, earning a Teaching Certificate which I have put to use over the last 8 years in the English Department at West Aurora High School. Sharing my passion for literature while also helping teenagers improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills has provided much joy, satisfaction, and, at times, frustration over the course of my somewhat short career. 

Grad school has been on my radar for a while, but it wasn’t until my youngest left for college last fall that I felt the time was right.  I chose the MALS program for both personal and professional reasons.  First, I’m ready to be academically challenged again. I appreciate the diverse course offerings that cover so many topics relevant to our current society. I want to be able to understand the different beliefs and philosophies of the people around me while also acknowledging some of my own personal biases. On a professional level, I’m hoping to hone my teaching skills, bring fresh ideas and ways of thinking into my classroom, and help my students become better world citizens.


While I have no plans to leave my teaching career anytime soon, I don’t count out the possibility for future jobs focused on immigrant rights or race relations. I hope to continue using my education as a means to give back. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prompt: The Media, Real Women and Gender Oppression

Wow. I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with some examples, but I keep coming up short. Luckily, I know a nineteen year old feminist who watches a lot of TV.   In particular, she brought up Orange is the New Black and Game of Thrones as examples of shows that portray strong women and shed light on gender inequity. By virtue of the all-female cast on OITNB, issues of gender inequity are inevitably raised.   The inclusion of women of color and varying sexuality does much to promote feminist viewpoints.   My daughter sees the treatment of the prisoners by the guards as a metaphor for how the women are treated in real life, also exposing oppression in society.   I found her inclusion of Game of Thrones to be interesting.   While I haven’t seen the show (I know…I need to watch it!), I have read about the controversies concerning the rapes and otherwise poor treatment of the female characters.   Do such plot points in some way elevate the oppression of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Class Comments Blog Post

I found the required books for this course really, really interesting, especially the Space of Public Opinion and Nobody.   The progression of the media’s reporting and commenting about current news has changed so much with the advent of the internet.   It seemed like everyone tuned into the nightly network news when I was a kid, but not I don’t really hear anyone talking about last night’s broadcasts.   I can say that I don’t even know the names of the 3 major networks evening broadcasters.   We’ve switched from trusting a knowledgeable news journalist or two to trusting sound bites provided by basically anyone with a Twitter account. But honestly, what will stick with me the most about the class is Hill’s book, Nobody. Hill makes it so apparent that our country has done a lousy job of caring for and providing opportunities for the most vulnerable.   It’s an overwhelming reality that has absolutely no easy solution. I only hope that our leaders and future ...
Post a Comment
Read more