Teaching Archives - RodneyCurtis.com

Apr

23

Jo-nan ‘Zactlyright

Joanne Mae Adams in high school and Joanne Adams Curtis nowadays — top right photo by Taylor Yau

She used to fight her twin sister over who got to babysit at a friend’s house because they had something called “TV.” Once the kids were asleep, she would turn on the screen and just stare at the test pattern, “There was seldom anything on,” she said. “But it was so fascinating.”

Now she carries an iPhone that’s connected to her hearing aids. A call comes in and she hears it in her brain. Talk about fascinating!Read More

Apr

29

Changing perceptions

I can’t show you any pictures.

Nor can I name any names.

But I’ve just spent a fantastic four weeks teaching formerly homeless folks about photography.

Mar

13

He Got In!

Good news, folks!

You may remember a blog I wrote a little while ago where I shared the letter of recommendation I wrote for a former student trying to get into film school. I wrote the reference letter like a movie script:

Jan

17

Reference Letter

An email hit my screen at the exact perfect time. I had just been rejected for a teaching position and was feeling kind of down. The email was from a former student of mine four years ago who was applying to film school; he wanted to write scripts. He asked if I’d be so kind as to write him a letter of recommendation. “As someone who was my favorite teacher at MSU I know you would do a great job at this.“

Okay, I was hooked.

Nov

03

There Once Was A Man from … uh, Pawtucket?

I look over some photos with Western Kentucky University student Brittany Greeson at the Mountain Workshops. (photo by Cassidy Johnson)

There’s a teaching job open at a nearby university. I half-considered applying for it, until I realized a couple things. One, it requires that you teach poetry. My appreciation of poetic form basically starts and ends with “There once was a man from Nantucket.”