Since I asked you to do it...

In order to try and bridge the gap created by an online class, I'll let you know a little about myself, too. I'll probably throw in a little about what you can expect in here, as well.

I'm originally from Meriden, Kansas but am currently living in a little town in Eastern Oklahoma. I went to undergrad at Washburn and did grad school at Minnesota State University, Mankato. (In case you were wondering, no that's not the school on Coach—that school isn't real, but our colors were purple and yellow.) I got an MA in English with an emphasis in Technical Communication.

I'm an adjunct instructor at Washburn, which means I'm part-time here. I also teach a photography class at Eastern Oklahoma State College and work from home part-time for the Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc. (RCIL) in Osage City. With this somewhat crazy schedule, I understand the stress of a lot of you part-time students. That also means I hope you'll give me a little latitude on contacting me. Believe it or not, I don't live in the computer, and I'm not chained to the desk. If you email me, please give me some time to get back to you. Try again if you haven't heard from me after a couple days. And I generally don't work on the weekends, so you'll have to wait for a response till Monday.

In my "spare time," I do a little writing and graphic design freelance work, and I'm also involved with the local arts council and several other community organizations.

In general, I'm not really a grammar-Nazi type of teacher. My main concern is that you're able to understand the larger concepts we're exploring in this class, but that doesn't mean you have a free pass on spelling and punctuation and the like. You want your papers to have resonance with your audience, and if your writing sends off a distinct "I don't care for no book learnin'" type of vibe, you're not going to succeed in that manner.

So, essentially, my goal for you is that when you write a paper, you sound like an intelligent, well-reasoned, articulate, college-educated person. Think that's a good goal? Me too.