Lori Vandeventer

I attribute my success to several incredible mentors who took me under their wing and shaped how I teach. Barbara Herman and Joan Warrick from Linton-Stockton High School were there at the beginning, having lots of conversations with me about the important actions to take in a class to make connections with students. Joan and I actually went to IU Bloomington together for our master's degrees, which deepened our professional relationship. Then, Karen Cosner, Linda Sanders, and Marlys Coats provided expert mentoring for me at Bedford North Lawrence High School for the few years I taught in the large school, teaching me how to carry a huge class load and responsibilities. Finally, Sharon Yarber at Eastern Green was an absolute gift. She served as our guidance counselor and was so calm and such a good listener. I even gave her a red phone when she retired as a joke, telling her it was like the Bat Phone, and when it rang, I would be on the other end, waiting for her to answer. These women showed me what it meant to truly listen to students, to ask questions rather than tell them what to think, and to create those private, intimate moments in the classroom where real learning happens. They taught me that the pinnacle of teaching isn't the awards or accolades, but those moments when a student finally understands or when everyone in the room is involved in a meaningful conversation.

The message of balance was the best career advice I received. As a pre-service teacher and a beginning teacher, I spent long hours preparing for school. Curriculum development is one of my favorite parts of teaching, so I would get lost in those moments as I planned elaborate units and lessons, solidifying my unfortunate need to be a perfectionist. I also knew that my students truly learned to write when I treated each paper as a workshop text, and I wrote all over those drafts. I then allowed students to resubmit final papers for improved grades, so I ended up grading each student's work twice. My husband was a teacher and coach at the time, so he was also at his school for hours on end. Only a few years after our boy/girl twins arrived, we found ourselves in the roles of caregivers to both our young children and our parents, who were battling cancer. I almost lost myself in those years. My husband, sisters, mentors, and friends constantly reminded me that I could not continue with the pacing and heaviness of life at the time. Through many chats with these women and a wonderful counselor, I learned to readjust my schedule and personal expectations without compromising how I cared for and served my family and students. Practicing the art of balance is easier now that I've reaped the benefits from the work, and I am forever thankful for the ones who continue to return me to center.

When a young woman comes to me looking for advice about going into education, I start by asking questions: Why do you want to teach? What area interests you? Do you want to instruct the big kids or the littles? How have you been in a classroom as a teacher, not just a student? Many times, people who are really good at playing school want to be a part of that, and they don't realize all of the background preparation behind each hour's lessons. I just start asking questions, and then it ends up in a conversation where they ask me for more specific information, and then I can share what teaching really involves concerning time, planning, paperwork, collaboration, etc. For me, these conversations are about making sure a pre-service teacher can understand the full picture of what teaching involves beyond just being in front of students.

One of the biggest challenges in composition education right now is dealing with AI and how it impacts student writing and learning. I cannot speak for everyone, but I believe that teachers need to start the year in August with pen to paper, where they get to understand each child's voice on paper. Then, they work through the writing process together, checking each component along the way. Composition instructors know that so much pre-writing has to be done before students are ready to even write a thesis statement, and all of that initial thinking work needs to be done on paper. If instructors know students' voices from the very beginning, then when a submitted text comes back that's different, teachers can have a real conversation with the student who submitted the work. In these situations, most students appreciated my honesty when I pointed out the differences between the pre-writing documents and the submitted paper, and we were able to move forward to find and accentuate their own voices. I also taught my seniors how to use AI as a cited resource and required various sources of AI in their papers, which helped these advanced writers to see how AI text is lacking in many rhetorical ways.

The most important value to me is authenticity. My students appreciate my realness and honesty. I always say that once students are mine, they are always mine. They know I fiercely fought for and protected them just as fiercely as I pushed them out of their comfort zones. When I asked them a question or brought their attention to an issue in class, they knew we had both invested time and work together, highlighting that I wanted them to be successful in learning the material and skills. I want to amplify students' voices, not have them simply reflect my thoughts to me. Today, I am still connected to hundreds of students who know these statements are authentically true, and I am still always in their corner. I believe in asking questions and truly listening rather than telling students what to think, and in return, I provide honest answers to their questions for me. They know I will not lie to them. Another core value is knowing my capacity and taking care of myself. Thanks to my mentors, I became wise enough to know that my family was my priority, so even though I poured my soul and time into my students, I also made sure to be present for my own children, attend their events with my husband, and welcome their friends into our home. Now in retirement, after a huge year of change where I retired, sold our forever home, bought a home in Evansville, and became a grandmother to twin girls (all within a few days) in May, I'm practicing what I preach. I'm trying to listen to myself and my needs, taking care of my body, mind, and spirit, soaking up every second with my granddaughters, and connecting to a new community. I've always believed in the motto from our National Honor Society service projects: find a need and meet it. That's what I'm preparing to do in this next season, but I know I have to take care of myself because I've had a big year, and I need to let myself breathe and adjust first. That's an important message for women of my age to hear.