Education
Ph.D. in Education (Culture, Curriculum, and Change)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Areas of Specialization: English Education, Teacher Education, Critical Multiculturalism, Social Foundations, Educational Technology, Qualitative Research
M.A. in English (Literature)
Purdue University
Areas of Study: Holocaust Literature, Contemporary Drama, Contemporary Poetry
B.A. in English (Secondary Teacher Licensure)
Minors: Theatre Arts, Philosophy, & History
Elon College
Courses Taught
English Department, Elon University
ENG 363 Teaching Literature: Canons, Cultures, and Classrooms
ENG 272 Hogwarts for Muggles: The Phenomenon of Harry Potter
ENG 253/GST 295 Ireland: An Introduction to Literature, Culture, and History (Study Abroad)
ENG 110 College Writing
Education Department, Elon University
EDU 481 Student Teaching
EDU 421 Methods of Teaching Middle Grades and High School English
MED 540 Literature for Children & Youth: Analysis and Application (M.Ed. program)
Education Department, Meredith University
EDUC 232 Foundations of American Education
School of Education, UNC-Chapel Hill
EDUC 116 Re-Inventing Teaching (M.Ed. Program)
EDUC 245 Methods & Materials for Teaching Secondary/K-12 English II (M.A.T. Program)
EDUC 244 Student Teaching Practica
EDUC 23 Teachers & Texts: Issues in Education
EDUC 22 Language, Cultures & Classrooms
English Department, Purdue University
ENGL 101 General Composition
ENGL 102 Research Writing
As an Elon graduate (1993!) and former Teaching Fellow, it's fantastic to have come "home" to familiar and dear old Elon. But as a faculty member, it is even more invigorating to find myself in an ever-growing and changing university, a place where I can pursue Things of Importance(tm). What more can anyone ask?
As tElon's English Teacher Licensure coordinator, I work with students who will someday be gatekeepers of the word and the world, agents of care and knowledge in their immediate classrooms, and important voices in the broader contexts of school reform. This is the work I wanted to do with my life -- and I learn from the remarkable students in my program every day.
As the Assistant Director of Academics for the Elon Academy, I have a genuine opportunity to wrestle with challenges of education, literacy, and the historic inequities that impact many adolescents -- the aptly named "opportunity gap" that often precedes differences in achievement. The young people in this program live narratives of struggle and success at the juncture of giftedness, marginality, and culture. They remind me that the work I do has impact beyond these brick and mortar walls. They inspire me daily with their strength and delight.
Together, both teacher candidates and Academy scholars speak to the power of supportive relationships and the need for hope. I am blessed with the chance to be one support along their journey—a critical and uniquely joyful responsibility in these changing times.
Photo and accompanying personal statement were part of the faculty/staff portrait exhibit installed in Mooney Building in May 2010.
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