North Arkansas College Faculty Member Releases First Textbook - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

North Arkansas College Faculty Member Releases First Textbook

This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

SOURCE: North Arkansas College

Long-time English instructor Pam Mathis is an example of the high quality of faculty at North Arkansas College. She departed on a 5 year project to wite a textbook that provides a framework for building the perfect essay.

Harrison, Arkansas (PRWEB) February 13, 2013

Patience and care are two skills required to write a quality essay. For years, Pam Mathis, North Arkansas College’s department chair of College Preparatory and Communication and long-time English faculty member had patiently taught students from within the limited boundaries of a textbook that didn’t adequately prepare them to write an essay.

Pam’s frustration slowly mounted into a steadfast determination to write her own textbook.

“I had noticed a gap between Fundamentals and English Composition. There just were not enough essays in the textbook being used and the example essays were just dreadful,” Mathis reflected.

“One day I phoned the book company representative and asked how to go about writing a textbook myself!”

In response to her inquiry, Pam received a prospectus in the mail and began working on it, stopping short of completion. The paperwork then sat untouched for several months. Summer break arrived and she returned to the project.

Brimming with excitement, Mathis says, “The text took me five years to write. I figuratively hit a few brick walls as I was writing, but God always showed me a way to climb over or go around.”

Published by Cengage Learning Pam Mathis’s “Blueprints for Writing: Building Essays” is now available in bookstores and has been incorporated into the curriculum at Northark. The text demystifies the writing process for students by guiding them through each step of the essay plan, or blueprint.

”I am so honored our English Department chose to use this book. My hope is that proceeds are used to benefit students through new scholarships, trips, or by enhancing the Shakespeare Festival.”

A popular instructor, Mathis is highly recommended by students and knows how to motivate them to learn because she exudes such excitement for the art of writing.
Several students from Northark and the surrounding area contributed essays. Janie DeAnda, Ethan Courter, Bryan Somers, Brenda Amerson and Ryan Watson’s works are woven through the framework of the textbook. Drury University’s Taylor Thorn contributed as well.

Mathis has taught at Northark for 23 years. In fall of 2011, she moved into an administrative position while teaching six hours a semester. Pam holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from the University of Arkansas and has received numerous awards and recognitions. Her teaching experience involves college success skills, integrated reading and writing, all levels of composition, and American literature.

North Arkansas College is a two-year public community college located in Harrison, Arkansas. Northark’s mission is to provide high quality, affordable, convenient opportunities for learning and community enrichment.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/2/prweb10418807.htm