Dennis Lawson

Q: Can you share your journey to becoming a faculty member at Delaware Tech? When did you start and what were you doing before?

"I became an English instructor at Delaware Tech in spring 2020. Several years before, I was the manager of public relations and marketing at the Delaware Art Museum. I was also writing fiction and working on getting published at the time. Ultimately, I returned to school to earn my MFA in Creative Writing at Rutgers-Camden. After graduation, I became the executive director of the Newark Arts Alliance.  But I found that I missed teaching, especially writing classes. I began working as an adjunct faculty member at Wilmington University, and later, the University of Delaware. Back then, I remember thinking it would be amazing to teach composition classes full-time, and then Delaware Tech gave me that opportunity."

Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Delaware Tech? What do you find most rewarding about teaching at Delaware Tech?

"My favorite part of teaching here is reading great student writing, especially final drafts! The most rewarding part is seeing students improve as writers over the course of the semester and over the course of their English curriculum."

Q: How would you describe your teaching philosophy?

"My teaching philosophy revolves around the idea that one must feel comfortable in order to write well.  This is true whether it is creative writing or an academic assignment. The problem is, many people, including students, are insecure about their writing skills, so they feel a lot of anxiety when it’s time to write something. I think it’s my job to help reduce that anxiety and build confidence. In order to do that, I use the writing process to break every essay assignment into a series of manageable steps."

Q: Are you currently involved in any research or special projects? If so, how do you integrate your them into your teaching?

"I like to think that I integrate some strategies from creative writing into my composition classes. The classroom has to be a welcoming place so that everyone feels comfortable with expressing themselves. Any long assignment has to begin with a pressure-free first draft so that students can get feedback and revise."

Q: What challenges have you faced in your career, and how have you overcome them? What changes have you seen in yourself since you started working here?

"A common challenge in a college composition class is having students who are at different skill levels.  For some of them, the class is just a review. For others, they are very much developing the skills they need. So, the challenge is to make the class interesting and also manageable for everyone. My solutions have been to slow down the pace of the class when necessary, and to work with every student individually, so that the students who need more feedback can get it.

One change I have noticed in myself is that I no longer get butterflies in my stomach when it’s time to get in front of a classroom. I guess at some point we all just get used to it!"

Q: Can you share a significant achievement or milestone in your professional journey?

"Moving from teaching part-time at the University of Delaware to teaching full-time at Delaware Tech has been the biggest achievement of my career. I feel lucky every day that I get to do this. In terms of fiction writing, I recently received an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts as an Established Professional in Literature."

Q: What are your interests or hobbies outside of the College?

"One of my major interests is writing fiction. I have published several short stories. I also play bass and guitar."

Q: What advice would you give to students pursuing a career in your field?

"I would say to pursue your teaching credentials but develop other professional skills as well. I think the best teachers have a varied professional background, and that helps them connect with the variety of students they will meet."

Q: Is there a particular experience or lesson that has profoundly impacted your teaching or outlook on education?

"I once heard a professor compare writing to going to the gym, and it’s a lesson I repeat to my students.  Just the act of writing multiple essays across the semester will cause a student’s writing skills to grow.  The more seriously they work at it, the more development they will see. If they incorporate the act of writing into their daily routine, the results will be profound."

Q: What’s something people may not know about you?

"I ride a BMX bike for fun, and I race it at First State BMX in Milford in the summer and fall."

Q: What are your future goals?

"I would like to see more and more students submit their writing to Delaword, and for more literature and creative writing classes to be offered (and for students to register for them!). I also hope to publish a novel sometime in the future."