New TA Q & A

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Meet  Abigail Houtz, TESL, MA and Makayla Malachowski, RPC, PhD

What are you excited about for teaching composition in ENGL 1500?

Abigail: To get to be a mentor to new students at ISU and guide them through the transition to college through the class.

Makayla: I’m excited to meet the students and help them grow as learners. Being one of their first instructors on campus is always so special to me. First impressions make a huge difference!

If your teaching had a theme song, what would it be? Why?

Abigail: There is a really funny Egyptian song called “Life is Hard Lakin Jamila (but beautiful).”

Makayla: Probably one of my favorite songs of all time, “Something Good Can Work” by Two Door Cinema Club. I always try to keep my classroom an uplifting and positive space for students to learn, and this song always picks me up — regardless of how things are going for me.

What one word do you hope your students use to describe you?

Abigail: Invested– in teaching, in them as people and students

Makayla: Thoughtful. To me, being thoughtful and considerate is one of the highest compliments you can receive.

What is something you want to learn from your students this semester?

Abigail: I want to understand the struggles, strengths, and weaknesses of the newer generation of college students, to learn how to teach them better.

Makayla: This semester, I want to learn more about how students engage with course material when we incorporate their passions and interests. This is an area of research I’m interested in, and I love to hear about the students’ perspectives!

What is something you like to do outside of school?

Abigail: I like to lift weights! I also recently picked up very basic embroidery.

Makayla: Outside of school, I like going to the lake, listening to new music, and spending time with loved ones.

What is one of your favorite essays or pieces you have written? Tell us about it.

Abigail: I would have to say my MA thesis I did before coming here, just because I invested more time in it than any other piece of writing I have previously done. I wrote on early Medieval Christian-Muslim interactions.

Makayla: When I was a student journalist at Missouri State University, I wrote an article for our campus newspaper, The Standard, about a local donut shop providing EnChroma glasses for those with colorblindness in our community. I spoke with a young girl about the impact that experience had on her, and it was so touching to share that story.

What fictional character would you want to co-teach a class with? Why?

Abigail: Probably Leslie from Parks and Rec. She would bring all the energy, and also it would be hilarious.

Makayla: I would love to co-teach a class with Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy. She always knows how to push her students to challenge themselves!

In the next newsletter, what question do you want us to ask your colleagues, and how would you answer it?

Abigail: Most embarrassing/funny teaching moment?
When I was in Tunisia, my first week of teaching, I got up on a chair to click the “on” button for the projector. My students audibly gasped. Teachers would never do that in the high power-distance culture there. They pointed to one of the boys in the class and said: “Miss, that is his job!”

Makayla: In what ways can you help your students adjust to being in a new place?
I would answer this question by encouraging students to explore the campus and the city around them. They’ll start to feel more at home when they’ve found their favorite spots.