Susan Perala Dewey, instructor in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies, has received the College of Liberal Arts Teaching Award.
Susan’s statement, in the nomination for the award assembled by her colleagues, gives us a view into what makes her work in the classroom powerful and unique:
Words matter is a theme in my classroom and in the writing we create. Words have power to engage, encourage, and enable or the power to disengage, discourage, and disable people from their pursuits. On the other side of every set of words, is a person. A human being with a heart, a will, and a mind. Words are real -- they have lives. As writers, we get the privilege of directing how words live in the world.
The writing projects my students create matter. Students in my advanced writing course last semester put their research on social connection to work. They created UMD Connection Day, February 18th on campus and in our community. Their passion and commitment was noticed on campus (UMD), in student news (The Bark) , in our community (DNT), state (MPR), and nation (US News & World Report). And they are invited to continue their efforts by participating in Northland Community Wellness Day 2020.
Perhaps the greatest joy of teaching is learning. Just last month, I was privileged to read one of the bravest, most articulate, and heartening pieces of writing ever. A pre-service social work student expressed their calling to help others. They wrote, “whenever I begin to feel lost and question myself, I lose myself in service to others ... the surest way I will find myself again”. I can’t think of a better way to describe the teacher I am becoming today.
Learn more about the Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies.