Inspired to teach

When Alexa McClellan first came to Iowa State in 2016, she wanted to study veterinary medicine. But that door closed when she found she didn’t have the stomach to be a vet.

“My second loves, besides animals, have always been people and reading,” McClellan said. “I wanted to combine those things.”

Another door opened when the English education program allowed her to do just that.

In 2020, McClellan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education. She is currently teaching English at Des Moines’ East High School while also pursuing a master’s degree in English here at Iowa State.

McClellan credits the English faculty, especially Brandon Sams, associate professor, and Donna Niday, associate professor emeritus, with giving her a vision of what teaching could be.

“I feel that looking at them both as teachers really helped me solidify that I love reading, and I love that we can teach people how to also love reading,” McClellan said. “Their passion is really what showed me that this is where I fit in. This is what I want to do.”

McClellan was introduced to the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster, in Sams’ graduate seminar, Teaching Literature and the Literature Curriculum. She appreciates how the book breaks down some of literature’s symbols, themes, and contexts and presents them in a way that makes them accessible to students.

“Foster really teaches students what to look for and how to begin analyzing texts,” she said.

This fall, McClellan will teach AP English. Inspired by Foster’s book and eager to teach it to her own students, McClellan applied for and received a grant through the Partners for Progress program with MidAmerican Energy to purchase the book for her class.

“I was really happy because I want the students to be able to start off their senior year in AP literature, getting ready to go to higher education on the right foot and be prepared,” McClellan said. “I’m so glad that I get to purchase things for them that they need and that they deserve.”

McClellan is grateful for Sams’ graduate seminar for not only introducing her to the book she will share with her students, but also for invigorating her love of literature and teaching.

“That class reinforced what I already love and know—that I want to keep teaching,” McClellan said.  “It gave me a lot of inspiration for my upcoming school year.”