Micaela Edelson, MFA, CWE
Eleanore Tisch, MFA, CWE
What do you wish your students knew about you?
Micaela: That I can wiggle my ears (but not very well).
Eleanore: I wish my students knew how much I love poetry! Maybe they do, but I feel like I haven’t been able to incorporate that into my 150 classes as much as I would like.
What one word would your students use to describe you?
Micaela: Short.
Eleanore: Chill.
What’s something your students have taught you this semester?
Micaela: That sometimes showing up is the best you can do.
Eleanore: My students have taught me that this generation of undergraduate students is kind, thoughtful, silly, and has really great taste in music.
What one teaching tool will we always find you with?
Micaela: I always have a PowerPoint, and even if I don’t use it to lecture or engage students with, I always have an introduction slide to the class session. It introduces the agenda for the day and the homework for the night, so students know what to expect.
Eleanore: A positive attitude 😉
If you could share one piece of advice with newer teachers, what would it be?
Micaela: Be compassionate to yourself and your students.
Eleanore: Some days will be good. Savor them. Some days will be bad. Let them go.
What’s something you are passionate about (outside of ISUCOMM)?
Micaela: Writing, reading, walks, dogs, cats, goats, tea, travel, cheese, plants, dogs.
Eleanore: My cats! Goose and Otter!
What are you excited to teach in 150/250?
Micaela: I’m teaching 250 this semester, and I really like the research project. It’s exciting to see students get excited about a topic exploration of their choice. Students appreciate the freedom, and I get some insight to what they are passionate about.
Eleanore: I like teaching the Personal Narrative, it’s a fun way to just learn more about my students!
What is your most frequently used emoji?
Micaela: ❤️
Eleanore: 🥺
If you had your own late-night talk show, who would you invite as your first guest?
Micaela: All the dogs.
Eleanore: I would host it with my best friend Layla and we would invite Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, creators of our favorite cancelled show, The OA.
If you had to sing karaoke, what song would you pick?
Micaela: Sir Mix-a-lot’s “Baby Got Back”.
Eleanore: I love karaoke and usually do either an oldies deep cut (think Changes by Charles Bradley or Ophelia by the Band) or a country bop (Dolly Parton, older T-Swift, etc.).