teach at the Metro Campus, because of ATE, I got to
know my SEC English faculty colleagues Pam Kannady and Wendy Eddy. My first year of full-time
teaching, however, was quite an experience because
I taught everything that semester and the next:
Reading I and II, Writing I and II, Comp I and II,
and Academic Strategies. Why? Because I wanted to
know the breadth of what we covered in English. I
did all of that while participating in ATE. Now
when I look back, I don’t know how I did it.
committee members were always invited to all the
meetings, so I took it as a true invitation, and I was
there all the time. When Amanda chose to retire, she
and Anita asked if I were interested in coordinating
the group. I said, “Yes.”
I’d like to add that ATE is one of the jewels of professional development for faculty because it introduces faculty to TCC in a way that recognizes that
they are professional experts who need to work together to benefit from the wisdom and expertise
that they all share. This year we’ve been much more
purposeful about recognizing the professionalism
that each faculty member brings to the table. One
example is the pedagogy papers in which the cohort
shares their classroom strategies and ideas with others in the group. We highlight those conversations
and sentiments because new faculty bring their own
professionalism to an established professional
group of faculty, so we immediately recognize and
honor that contribution. That’s the part that I appreciate and cherish about ATE.
What drew you to developmental studies?
Since I was in my early teens, I had been tutoring at
my church and in my community in math, writing,
and reading. I knew I liked helping people to understand the material, explaining it in detail, giving
practical examples, breaking it down. Developmental students enter the conversation through different
avenues, and I helped those students make practical
connections with what matters to them in their
world. They tend to have skills that are not prized,
and it is my job to help students bring those skills to
the surface. I suppose I prefer to challenge those
who think they can’t make it.
So do you think it would benefit all English faculty t