Today's English Educators

This paper explores the roles and responsibilities of today’s English educator (both the secondary teacher and the university professor). It first provides a general historical overview of how literature has functioned and served society over the last several centuries. By chronicling the various literary movements since the 18th century, we can begin to understand how English situates itself in modern schooling and how the social and political systems and statuses of the world over history have dictated how literature can serve society. The study then explores different facets, duties, and skills of the actual teaching role and position as literary educator. By synthesizing current educational pedagogy and literary theory along with incorporating commentary from several interviews with professionals in the field, we explore the teacher’s moral sensibility, her competence as a “social being,” her improvisational and spiritual performance skills, and the all important ability to model the process and lifestyle of scholarship and inquiry. The final portion of the paper briefly examines several reading theories that are useful to the English educator. We first look at the importance of viewing reading as a craft- a practical and useful life skill. Finally, there is a consideration of reading as emotional education and ethical exercise.

For a copy of the full paper, contact Dr. Hicks at heather.hicks@villanova.edu, or drop by the Graduate Lounge where hard copies of all Professional Research Option projects are archived.