Department of
English
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Barbara Dixson
Like everyone in the English Department, I teach freshman English. From my first section of freshman English in 1976 at Auburn University till now, I still find it tremendously interesting to watch students develop their voices and get better at making the words on paper match the vision in the imagination. When I teach literature, it's usually American and twentieth century. Since I'm from the South, I've taken a professional interest in Southern literature, and women's literature is another fascination for me. For both my master's degree and my Ph.D., I did my major research on women writers. As a teacher of writing and literature, I think it's important to be a writer and a reader myself. I am both of these, reading novels when I should be doing dishes or responding to student papers, and writing daily. My published writings have often been pieces about women writers, while a number of recent publications have been the creative nonfiction which grows from my daily journaling.
What I'm best known for, though, is English education. For a decade, I've been teaching English methods. I'm also the person who makes placements for field experiences for English education students, both for practicum and for student teaching. I supervise most of these placements as well, reading students' journal entries and visiting their classrooms. This work is a joy to do, meeting students who come into my office for advising when they are first considering becoming teachers, seeing them develop a practical idealism based on a clear set of values and strong classroom skills, watching as they put this empowered vision to work in the classroom, and staying in touch with them as they move into and through their professional lives.
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