Former Students
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Throughout my time teaching, I’ve found that one of the most immediate opportunities for me to serve my profession comes by way of my former students. Truly, the connections I have made with those I once taught represent one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career. Because I am so fortunate to be in a position where I can meet so many fine individuals, my philosophy has always been, “once a student, always a friend,” and my door is never closed to any co-learner who once shared a classroom with me.
Though my service to former students takes on many forms, I primarily stand to help them in the following ways: |
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Letters of Recommendation
Whether it’s for a job or for an academic opportunity, I invite former students to contact me about the possibility of writing a recommendation letter or completing a reference form on their behalf. Before we discuss this, please be prepared to explain exactly why you need the letter, what the opportunity entails, and how my knowledge of you from our past experience together might be tied into the attributes you most want to showcase in your application. For current and former GSU students, please be advised that, per current Georgia State University policy, I will need you to complete, sign, and return a FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act) waiver form before I can write a letter or fill out any reference form on your behalf.
Help with Academic & Professional Writing/Composing/Rhetorical Tasks
A number of former students have contacted me after finding themselves in an upper-level undergraduate (or even graduate) course and suddenly feeling lost as a deadline loomed on a major assignment they were struggling to complete. A few former students have even faced this scenario in the workplace after college and turned to me for assistance. I welcome these opportunities to serve my former students, and I’m always happy to try and help as best I can. Please keep in mind that I’m tremendously busy and can’t always respond immediately, but if you will email me with the details of your situation (and any related materials that will provide context or give me information about what you are expected to do), I will respond as quickly as I can and try to help you map out a way forward so that we can work together to help you succeed (and maybe even learn in the process).
Passing Along Opportunities for Freelance Writing/Editing Work
For former students from my ENGL 3140 Editing for Publication classes (and select students from other courses I’ve taught), I maintain an informal mailing list of those who are open to doing freelance writing/editing work. Because I am on a number of established mailing lists which frequently include such opportunities, and also because a number of people contact me for these sorts of jobs due to my previous writing and editing experience, I’m happy to pass along some of these opportunities to those who are qualified and interested. These gigs run the gamut from proofreading web content to ghostwriting a short book, and I usually have next to no information about whoever is offering these opportunities, how serious they are, what they may or may not expect, nor what they might be willing to pay (you will need to find out all this for yourself). If you would like to discuss the possibility of being included in my sharing of these opportunities, please get in touch so we can talk about your qualifications, the writing/editing experience you’ve gained since you left my class, and the types of opportunities that you would feel most comfortable pursuing.
Whether it’s for a job or for an academic opportunity, I invite former students to contact me about the possibility of writing a recommendation letter or completing a reference form on their behalf. Before we discuss this, please be prepared to explain exactly why you need the letter, what the opportunity entails, and how my knowledge of you from our past experience together might be tied into the attributes you most want to showcase in your application. For current and former GSU students, please be advised that, per current Georgia State University policy, I will need you to complete, sign, and return a FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act) waiver form before I can write a letter or fill out any reference form on your behalf.
Help with Academic & Professional Writing/Composing/Rhetorical Tasks
A number of former students have contacted me after finding themselves in an upper-level undergraduate (or even graduate) course and suddenly feeling lost as a deadline loomed on a major assignment they were struggling to complete. A few former students have even faced this scenario in the workplace after college and turned to me for assistance. I welcome these opportunities to serve my former students, and I’m always happy to try and help as best I can. Please keep in mind that I’m tremendously busy and can’t always respond immediately, but if you will email me with the details of your situation (and any related materials that will provide context or give me information about what you are expected to do), I will respond as quickly as I can and try to help you map out a way forward so that we can work together to help you succeed (and maybe even learn in the process).
Passing Along Opportunities for Freelance Writing/Editing Work
For former students from my ENGL 3140 Editing for Publication classes (and select students from other courses I’ve taught), I maintain an informal mailing list of those who are open to doing freelance writing/editing work. Because I am on a number of established mailing lists which frequently include such opportunities, and also because a number of people contact me for these sorts of jobs due to my previous writing and editing experience, I’m happy to pass along some of these opportunities to those who are qualified and interested. These gigs run the gamut from proofreading web content to ghostwriting a short book, and I usually have next to no information about whoever is offering these opportunities, how serious they are, what they may or may not expect, nor what they might be willing to pay (you will need to find out all this for yourself). If you would like to discuss the possibility of being included in my sharing of these opportunities, please get in touch so we can talk about your qualifications, the writing/editing experience you’ve gained since you left my class, and the types of opportunities that you would feel most comfortable pursuing.