About Ryan Edel

As a student, I went through fourteen years of college life — four years for my bachelor's degree, another two years for an associate's degree, two years for my master in fine arts, and six more years for my Ph.D. in English Studies.  Along the way, I've also taken online courses, writing residencies, and military skills training.  So if you need first aid for comma placement, let me know!

And as a teacher?  I've been teaching undergraduate writing courses since Fall 2008 — the year I began my MFA.  I also taught English language Arts at a vocational high school for three years, where I also had a chance to supervise future teachers as they observed our classes.  Along the way, I've run creative writing workshops for kids through adults, plus worked a few summers at science enrichment summer camps.

Aside from five years in the army and six months of banquet bartending, I've spent my entire adult life either taking or teaching classes.  So I've seen a lot from both sides of education — my own struggles to succeed as a student, plus the challenge of trying to guide my own students through the hoops of education.

It would be easy to say I've finally "figured things out," but I haven't.  I don't think anyone ever does.  We either hit this point of life where we're comfortable where we're at, or we live in this place where we still strive for something more.  And this website is part of "something more."  I want something more for my students — something I can use in my classroom that fits my style of teaching, but also easily accessible for students to read on their smartphones.  I also want to share this with my fellow teachers as a way to exchange tips on successful teaching.  As a student writer in graduate school, I spent many years feeling my way forward, usually teaching undergrads during they day and taking grad classes at night.  The writing classes provided me with a solid grounding how to write, but little sense of how to publish.  And the pedagogy courses I took provided the theories of teaching and learning, but not as much guidance on how to manage a classroom.  I've had some amazing workshops on how to plan and build a syllabus, but much of what I know about grading, classroom management, and engaging with students came through trial and error.

Both as a student and as a teacher, it conversations with classmates and colleagues provided so much help, but life doesn't always give us that chance to breathe.  I wish I could attend every conference, and I wish our department had a daily coffee break for us all to sit down and talk about what's going on.  And back when I studied for exams and term papers, my life would've been so much better had I realized that my friends struggled just as much as I did.  But I didn't spend much time with my friends.  I thought it was more important to study.  And study.  And study.  Until I was so tired that I couldn't even see straight, let alone learn.