Embarrassed Teachers

I was in college before I realized that teachers are normal people, too.  Like so many other students, I always saw my teachers just as they were in the classroom--no more and no less.  They didn't have lives outside of school--even if I knew them outside of school, including their spouses and/or children.  They were my teachers, for heaven's sake!

Then, in college, I had this one teacher for Abnormal Psychology who I remember for one thing and one thing only:  the day he came to class with a safety pin attached to the front zipper of his white dress slacks.  While I do feel more knowledgeable about topics related to Abnormal Psych, for the life of me, with conscious effort, the only thing I can remember about my Abnormal Psych professor is that one day--that one embarrassing moment.  I can't even remember the professor's name!

As usual, I was sitting front row center in the classroom.  Because I was there to learn, I was already with my notebook open and ready to take notes before the professor ever came in the classroom.  On that particular day, it was no different.  The professor came in, started lecturing, and I immediately started writing down every word he said.

It didn't take long, though, before I realized that there was a "disturbance in the force."  The professor noticed it, too because he stopped his lecture about whatever it was that we were learning that day and explained the elephant in the room.

Of course, he chose to stand dead center in front of the classroom--right in front of me.  Since I was sitting and he was standing, I was eye level with the source of everyone's curiosity.  As I looked up to see what was going, I was staring straight at a huge straight pin with a large blue cap on the front of this instructor's white slacks.

My professor explained to us that he'd gone to the bathroom just before class and his zipper had broken on his pants.  He hadn't had time to go home to change before class and that safety pin was the only thing he could find to deal with the problem before class time.

Wow.  A professor who was REAL.  I couldn't believe it.  I felt so bad for him, but I admired him so much for standing in front of us with that giant diaper pin on the front of his WHITE slacks.  It really is because of him that I don't shy away from my own embarrassing moments in the classroom.

And believe me....there have been many over the years!!!!

FYI:  even if I could remember that teacher's name, I probably wouldn't share it to preserve his dignity!  LOL.

CVCC English Faculty

I have been teaching at Catawba Valley Community College now since the Fall 2000 semester.  I have seen English teachers come and go over the 15 years I've been here--the good, the not-so-good, the great, and the not-so-great.  I am proud to say that overall, I teach with some of the best English teachers EVER.  I admire and respect my colleagues so very much.  Each one brings something valuable, beneficial, and amazing to the table as far as our department is concerned.  I hear great things about every single English Instructor on CVCC faculty and I myself can't stop saying wonderful things about them.  While no two of us have similar ways of teaching, I continually find that we all teach the important information.

In the past year or so, we as a department have been through the ringer.  We are coming out on the other side of our problems, though, better for them.  Closer as a department.  Ready to face whatever obstacles that come at us down the road.

And we're already being made aware of new problems that are coming:  budget cut-backs which means that someone in our department will not have a full-time position after this semester; the new articulation agreement with state universities which mean that not only are several classes changing names to correlate with the new agreement, but because of those new changes, we're all going to have to revamp how we teach freshman composition; we're already overwhelmed with the teaching load, but it looks like--again--we're being asked to do more with less.  Somehow or other, our department continues to find ways to struggle through and to make "it" work for us.

Physically, we struggle from one semester to another with illness, body aches, and even emotionally because we are simply overwhelmed with the amount of work required of us.  But we carry on.  We find ways to make "it" work and we pick up the pieces for one another as needed.

We have been bashed over the head with one problem after another that we have no control over, but we persevere and prove that problems are only mountains to climb--and we climb them--slowly, steadily, but sure-footedly and with great determination.

Why do we work so hard?

Because we love what we do.  Because we truly do care about our students and their higher education.  We sincerely want to see them succeed not only at the community college level, but in their future endeavors at four-year universities as well as in their chosen careers.  Every decision we make is based on what is BEST for our students.

I am so proud to be a part of the English faculty at CVCC in Hickory, NC.....in no particular order:

Kristy Wooten
Teresa Snow
Robert Canipe
Robert Womack
Susannah Blanchard
Ryan Johnson
Mona Fletcher
Polly Anna Watson
Anissa Demiter
Michael
Justin Ganser
Scott Owens
*BJ McNally (AA)
(if I've missed anyone, I'm truly sorry!!!!)