“Without a struggle, there can be no progress.”

Dena Holley, Secondary English Teacher, Pontotoc High School Often times, high school teachers face two challenges in the writing realm. Students cannot transition to college writing when they have not yet transitioned to the high school writing level. I was sorely disappointed when I saw the rough drafts of my students’ research papers. Unfortunately, I assumed they knew, as eleventh […]

College Readiness: A Whimsical Buzzword Vocabulary Study

Rachel Johnson, Writing Center Director and Writing Instructor, University of Mississippi Tupelo I’ll go ahead and put this out there. I am a total nerd. That’s right: Star Trek, gadgetry, ironic vintage décor, a pencil sharpener collection… the whole shebang. But, not all of my geekery turns to frivolous pursuits; I do have some marketable hobbies. One of those has […]

Still Transitioning

Deborah Kehoe, English Instructor & Writing Center Director, Northeast Community College Still Transitioning I am looking forward once again to attending this fine event where Mississippi writing teachers gather to commune and confer about the responsibilities and challenges we all face, challenges that change, and those that never seem to go away. I am especially happy to be on the […]

The “Baby Teacher” by Keith Boran

Although I am beginning my seventh year as an instructor of writing, I still view myself as a “new” teacher, or what my mother, a high school English teacher, would call a “baby teacher.” Do not misunderstand me – I have gained some knowledge and confidence in what I have chosen as a career, but it always seems to evaporate […]

Sheena Boran’s Own Transition

This year, I’ve made a transition of my own: after ten years in the face-to-face classroom, I’m an online instructor. I’m embracing the challenges of this new environment, and I’ve enjoyed finding new ways to reach students. But teaching from behind a screen is isolating. I don’t pass colleagues in the hall or overhear snippets of other instructors’ lectures. (I […]