Stacy Tartar Esch
Adjunct English Instructor

For all my hard work in college, I now hold an M.A. in English and a B.A. in Literature, and, somewhere along the line, I earned credit for a Concentration in Creative Writing—all from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. I graduated with summa cum laude honors in the long ago and far away year of 1987.

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My teaching career began even before I graduated from college. I taught remedial writing while I was still in graduate school and I never stopped. Besides teaching at West Chester University, I've taught at Drexel University, Community College of Philadelphia, and Delaware County Community College. In 1993 I moved to St. Louis to teach at St. Louis Community College. That was a great experience. But the midwest wasn't my lasting home. Events, especially the birth of my daughter, conspired to pull me back east, and since being back, I've been teaching here at West Chester University and occassionally at Immaculata University. When I think about how I used to be a student here, and how I started my teaching career here, all so many years ago, it feels sometimes like 've come around full circle, like the seasons.

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Wherever they happen to have been, eighteen years of experience in college classrooms has taught me that my work as your writing and/or reading teacher will be difficult, to say the least. I've been at this too long not to realize the extent to which a lot of students despise writing, or fear it, or are bored to tears by it. Sometimes it's just plain hard, even when you're interested. You don't have to tell me—I already know that quite a few of you loathe reading and hate writing. Feel free to hide it, if it's true. (If it's not true, bless you!) The point is, I am going to try my absolute best to teach you necessary skills in the face of what can sometimes be an overwhelming negativity. More than that. I'm going to try to show you what's great and positive about this writing challenge. My hope is that my own bigtime enthusiasm for reading and writing come across to you this semester. I'd love it if some of that enthusiasm rubbed off on you. If nothing else, you'll be exposed to someone who still, in this age of digital media, still loves the slowness and the imaginative power of words, still loves the solitary, private act of reading, still loves the expressiveness of writing--and wants you to love them, too.

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I'm a teacher, and by profession I can be long-winded. I could say a lot more here, but I'm holding back. If you have any questions or comments, or just want to chat, feel free to contact me anytime.

Enjoy the fall, check out all the interesting things going on around campus and in town, and have a great semester.