Born and raised in Scottsboro, Alabama, currently living in Gadsden. Educated at JSU (BA) and UAB (MA). I've been teaching at Gadsden State Community College since 2008. I'm 39, married with a daughter who just began kindergarten. I love to teach, but I'm not a stuffy, suit and tie, type of person. Verbally, I can be assertive and blunt - I studied rhetoric for my Master's and am a firm believer in the philosophy espoused by David Bartholomae that "writing is an act of aggression disguised as an act of charity". I almost never teach English majors, so I approach my field pragmatically, considering where where my expertise will fall in the bigger picture of my students' lives and careers. I design my classes to fit that model rather than some idealized model that sees my field and the skills I teach them as primary factors in their lives.