My English Department Bio

I had to write a short bio for the English department webpage today and thought it'd be fun to have a record of it here: 

My name is Stephanie Robertson. I grew up in Bakersfield, California and moved to Hawaii in 2004 as a transfer student. I fell in love with the subject of English in my general education classes and graduated as an English major in December 2005. After working as a program coordinator for a mental health agency I was happy to get back to my love of literature and composition as a Special Instructor at BYU-Hawaii. I have been teaching since 2009 and love helping my students find joy in reading, confidence in writing, and creative "ah-ha moments" in expressing critical thought.

I have a smart, talented husband who is a social worker/therapist and three wild, lovable little boys. They are my absolute favorite people in the world... Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, Sylvia Plath, Ray Bradbury, and Harper Lee are close seconds.

Teaching.

I have been having a great time teaching this Summer.  I got a little worn out at the end of Winter semester.  I think being sick and pregnant was the main problem.  This semester I am just PREGNANT in a major way, but not sick.  Also, my 201 class is super enthusiastic and into whatever we do so that makes things really fun.

It will be strange once September rolls around and I go down to teaching only Tuesdays from 5:20-8:20PM, but it is a very necessary change since baby boy arrives 2 months later!  Life is wonderful.

Some beautiful people.

Winter semester just ended today and as much as I look forward to the end of the semester I always feel a little sad to part with students I have spent so much time with and learned so much about. It's just the cycle of life at a University. I am grateful to get to be a part of their lives for a while. The future is safe with these guys. I love them all- even the ones who drive me nuts!

Here's last semester--
Fall 2011 MWF 3:40PM class:

(We did the final at our house and it was Christmas time- hence the festive decor. AH! I miss Christmas!)

Fall 2011 MWF 5:10PM class:


Those two classes were Eng 101 and we read a varied collection of essays, short stories, and plays revolving around the theme of the shared human experience. Quite a few students from these classes were crazy enough to join me for my Eng 201 class this Winter. I love having repeats.

Winter 2012 MWF 7:30AM class:


Winter 2012 T TH 7:40AM class:


This semester in Eng 201 we studied critical theory and applied them to Into the Wild, Persuasion, Death of a Salesman, The Assistant, and Chocolat. This was my favorite collection of novels so far and I am glad that I decided to change them even if it required more work on my part prep-wise. We talked about theory and composition a lot, but we also did a ton of creative projects. Our final was a service learning project inspired by the impact the main character in our last novel had on the lives around her. I teared up more than once as the students gave their presentations about the impact they had on the lives around them using their talents over the last couple of weeks.

Juggling being a mom and teacher is not always perfect, and some students every once in a while do their best to drive me crazy, but I really can't imagine a more perfect job for me at this stage of my life. I feel like I make a difference and I always learn so much! It is really fun to teach at an LDS University because we can apply gospel principles to what we are studying all the time and so I get to bare my testimony in small ways almost every day. I love that! Academically, I get to challenge my critical thinking skills all the time and teach some of the most interesting and inspiring people I've ever met- from all over the world! I will never stop being grateful for this job or my cool boss who works with my schedule as a mother. Grateful grateful grateful.