Her Story
About Carol
Carol Dahmen is a college English teacher at Spokane Falls Community College. She has been in her current role since 2013, bringing over 30 years of experience in education that began in the 1970s when a high school English teacher inspired her love of language. Throughout her career, Dahmen has taught high school English as well as in juvenile detention centers, correction facilities, and homeschool settings. She also taught part-time at Salish Kootenai College while working on ranches. She earned a bachelor's degree in creative writing and English, followed by a master's degree in education and a second master's degree in creative writing poetry, completed around 2011-2012. Dahmen emphasizes face-to-face teaching, building relationships with students from diverse backgrounds, and helping them discover their unique voices through discussions centered on audience and purpose.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carol
01What do you attribute your success to?
Keeping my passion alive regarding language and the joy in just sharing it with others, and finding new ways to use language in my curriculum. I think English teachers have it better than any other kind of teacher because the curriculum never gets old and I love catering to individuals.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Keep trying to find the balance between bringing students up to the high bar and expectations but meeting them right where they're at, because everyone's at a different level. Don't lower the bar of the objectives.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never lose your love of language. Renew your own experiences with language by reading for pleasure often. Save time for reading for pleasure and reading for professional knowledge. Don't just wear your teacher hat 24-7. Save space for your own love of language and just for pure enjoyment of reading and writing.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Helping students find and value their own voice, especially since AI. Students come in unsure or thinking that their voice is not meaningful or unique.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The importance and love of language in each individual unique voice. Relationships, communication, transparency, and raw honesty in writing. Be brave, take risk.
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