There are two kinds of teachers, but just one “me.”

Hello,

Thanks for stopping by. Before you dive into "Two Kinds of Teachers," I thought I should share a little about myself and my career as an educator/scholar.

I officially began teaching in 1987 when I stepped into a first-floor classroom in Baldy Hall on the north campus of the State University of New York at Buffalo. As part of my fellowship to the English Literature Doctoral program, I'd been assigned the task of teaching Writing 101 to a bunch of eager freshmen. I was twenty-three at the time, fresh out of Colgate University, and without a lick of teaching experience. And as you might expect, I was nervous, excited, and naive about the challenges that awaited me.

Now, after thirty-four years of teaching and two years of retirement, I've decided to reflect on my unique career as an educator. During that three-and-a-half-decade period, I somehow managed to teach sixth graders through Ph.D. students. I taught high school and middle school classes in English Literature, middle school classes in Gifted and Talented, undergraduate classes in writing, as well as Masters and Ph.D. level classes in education. Oh, and throw in a brief but rewarding stint as an SAT tutor for The Princeton Review. Looking back, that's quite the mix, right?

Along the way, I also garnered a few distinctions. Usually, I don't share these things. But lately, I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on, well, everything, and I often find myself asking the video influencer, "Interesting, but what are your credentials?" So, before you ask, let me humbly offer you my credentials.

Besides the extensive experiences I've had as an educator listed above, I've also been formally recognized for my achievements as a teacher and scholar. After my second year teaching writing at SUNY Buffalo, I was nominated for a college teaching award. And in the spring of 2000, I was named Educator of the Week for Western New York during my stint as a high school English teacher. I've also been recognized for my scholarship, winning the "Promising Scholar Award" from SUNY Buffalo's Education Department in 2012. Lastly, I've also co-authored two scholarly articles, which were published in prestigious journals and have been cited over 400 times in other articles.

Most importantly, though, I had a career in education filled with rich and meaningful connections with my students. Something I did in the classroom clearly resonated with many of the people I’ve been blessed to teach. So, while every teacher is different and needs to find his, her, or their unique way of helping students learn, maybe I have an idea or two that will help you hone your pedagogy.

After all those years of teaching, I guess I feel compelled to teach some more.

Best wishes,

Bill