Meet Our Professors: Lisa Arter, English
Posted: February 23, 2018 | Author: Kenzie Lundberg | Read Time: 3 minutes
Before teaching at Southern Utah University, Lisa Arter was a middle school teacher in southern California. Recognizing new teachers were coming into classrooms ill-prepared, she went back to college to train pre-service teachers to ensure they thrive in their career after graduation.
“Working with new teachers and felt called to earn my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction so that I could teach pre-service teachers to be career thrivers. I believe that education programs have the ability and obligation to best prepare those entering the field for the realities of the 21st Century classroom.”
Now an Assistant Professor of English and coordinator of the English Education program at SUU, Arter specializes in pre-service teacher education. During her time at SUU she has taught:
- ENGL 2010 Writing about the American Civil War
- ENGL 2010 IW: Argument & The Simpsons
- ENGL 2030 Methods of Teaching Grammar
- ENGL 2230 Mythology
- ENGL 2900 Methods of Teaching Writing
- ENGL 3280 Young Adult Literature for Educators
- ENGL 3900 Methods of Teaching English
- ENGL 4820 Teaching Senior Capstone
- ENGL 4980 Student Teaching
Arter enjoys creating a classroom environment where future generations can appreciate literature, connect to one another, and make positive choices for their future.
“Literature can connect people across time and place and backgrounds. It calls us to find those things we have in common and build a better future. Every day, teachers get between their students and evil: abuse, poverty, ignorance, hatred, violence, hunger, and bullets. English teachers are particularly placed to see the pain and worry in our students through their writing and discussions of text and to encourage and support them.”
From Arter’s perspective, education is a field that is constantly changing and yet the same as it has always been.
“Every year (especially every election) there are new regulations, new curriculum, new research, and new kids. But at the core, it is a teacher and a student making a connection to improve the world.”
Arter loves the opportunity to make a difference in students’ lives through building stronger programs that positively affect the lives of countless kids in their future classrooms. With extremely successful students, many receive job offers and schools are now requesting SUU students for paid internships in lieu of traditional student teaching.
“While there is a national teacher shortage, Utah is still able to be choosy about who they hire and our students are in high demand. That speaks well to the quality of our program. One of our graduates received the Utah state new teacher of the year award and two have received the Pestalozzi award for outstanding education graduate.”
Arter’s proudest moment is watching her students become her colleagues each graduation. Before they get to graduation though, her advice all college students is don’t rush.
“This is the one time in your life when you are old enough to be independent and young enough to be selfish. Don’t rush through school. Don’t rush into relationships. Don’t rush into problems. The world will speed up and push you along without your help. Slow down and enjoy this time to yourself, to learn and grow and be who you are meant to be before being responsible to and for everyone else. Be brave and honest. And breathe.”
This article was published more than 5 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: College of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty
