Wardell shares enthusiasm for English language in Writing Center position
Posted by Kurt Schliep '10, Howard Lake on Monday, Aug. 17, 2009
Eric Wardell ’08, Savage, is passing knowledge of and enthusiasm for the English language gained as an undergrad at the University of Minnesota, Morris to his own students in a new position in the Writing Center at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC). Wardell says: “My inspiration and preparation to become an English tutor came from several key classes and professors at Morris.”
Wardell’s adviser, Janet Schrunk-Erickson, associate professor of English, gave him a “fantastic outlook on the complex and wonderful craziness of the English language with some of the better tips on how to tame it.”
Bradley Deane, associate professor of English, taught him how to “build a strong thesis [that he’s] still trying to drive home with some of his students.”
Wardell tutors many students for whom English is a second or third language, a challenge he learned to approach at Morris with the guidance of Michael Lackey, assistant professor of English.
“Professor Lackey’s ability to show me how culture is governed by language has allowed me to both teach and learn from students who use language to demonstrate their vastly different ideas and beliefs about the world. I can then approach these systems of belief and background accordingly with different teaching styles that will likely encourage the best understanding of any one idea.”
Read more about Wardell’s experience and impact in the DCTC Writing Center.
Photo courtesy of the Dakota County Technical College.
