Teaching
Cabourg, France; Photo Credit: Self
I began my teaching career when I joined Teach For America (Eastern North Carolina, Corps 2000) after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia (anthropology and magazine journalism double major). After teaching 6th-grade language arts and social studies for two years, I fell in love with education. I earned my MFA in creative writing (nonfiction) from The University of Arizona in 2006.
For the past two decades, I have also taught at educational nonprofits, the Fulton County Community School and Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, The University of Arizona, the University of Missouri-Columbia, St. Louis Community College, Washington University in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden, The Story Center, St. Louis County Library and the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, and through the Prison Education Project at WashU via the Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center (WERDCC) in Vandalia, Missouri.
As a result of my diverse teaching experiences, my instructional philosophy centers around the following beliefs and practices:
Overall, I see my role in the classroom as that of a coach and facilitator. I use a constructivist approach to teaching and learning by tapping into students' knowledge to craft individualized learning goals and writing plans based on students' interests and future academic and professional aspirations.
Workshops I've Taught
Courses I've Taught
Washington University in St. Louis (Adjunct Instructor, 2021-present)
St. Louis Community College-Meramec (Assistant Professor of English, 2014-2018)
The University of Arizona in Tucson (Graduate Assistant in Teaching, 2004-2006)
For the past two decades, I have also taught at educational nonprofits, the Fulton County Community School and Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, The University of Arizona, the University of Missouri-Columbia, St. Louis Community College, Washington University in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden, The Story Center, St. Louis County Library and the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, and through the Prison Education Project at WashU via the Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center (WERDCC) in Vandalia, Missouri.
As a result of my diverse teaching experiences, my instructional philosophy centers around the following beliefs and practices:
- establishing a collegial community of active and involved learners and writers
- using service learning to connect students to the community at large
- incorporating meaningful learning technologies into the writing process
- conducting one-on-one writing conferences with students
- modeling how to give constructive and actionable feedback to writers
- personalizing the learning experience for students in online, hybrid, and face-to-face environments
- assessing learners and writers with authentic and purposeful assignments that go beyond stale assessments
Overall, I see my role in the classroom as that of a coach and facilitator. I use a constructivist approach to teaching and learning by tapping into students' knowledge to craft individualized learning goals and writing plans based on students' interests and future academic and professional aspirations.
Workshops I've Taught
- En Plein Air Micro-Essay Writing Workshop with The Story Center at the Mid-Continent Public Library in Liberty, Missouri and The New Territory Magazine - May 31, 2025
- Primary and Secondary Sources Workshop for the WashU Prison Education Project at WERDCC in Vandalia, Missouri - July 30, 2024
- World-Building for Writers Workshop with The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri and the St. Louis Press Club - June 10, 2023
- From Page to Performance Workshop for the St. Louis Storytelling Festival and the St. Louis County Library - October 18, 2022
Courses I've Taught
Washington University in St. Louis (Adjunct Instructor, 2021-present)
- Humor Writing, a three-credit-hour synchronous online five-week creative writing workshop taught via Canvas and Zoom through WashU's School of Continuing & Professional Studies with special guests, Janelle Bassett and Liz Alterman (Summer 2025)
- Analytical Writing via the WashU Prison Education Project, a three-credit-hour 16-week in-person class at WERDCC in Vandalia, Missouri (Fall 2024)
- College Transition Seminar, a one-credit-hour synchronous online 16-week class for first-year students at WashU's School of Continuing & Professional Studies (2021-2024)
St. Louis Community College-Meramec (Assistant Professor of English, 2014-2018)
- English 101/102, first-year composition, rhetoric, and research courses taught via in-person, hybrid, and online modalities for a variety of weeks as needed
- Introduction to Fiction Literature, a three-credit-hour online asynchronous course taught in Blackboard via student-led discussions
- Creative Nonfiction Writers' Workshop, a generative three-credit-hour in-person writing workshop, with special guest Kathleen Finneran
- Fiction Writers' Workshop, a generative three-credit-hour in-person writing workshop featuring student-led writing projects and short stories
The University of Arizona in Tucson (Graduate Assistant in Teaching, 2004-2006)
- English 101/102, first-year composition, rhetoric, and research courses taught in-person as the instructor of record
- Humor Literature, a three-credit-hour, in-person literature course focused on humor-based poetry and prose