Curtis Crisler
Associate Professor of English
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I was working 3-5 part-time jobs, and had roommates to help make ends meet before I realized I had to do something to make a change.
After a talk with an ex-girlfriend's father, I realized I didn't want to have a bunch of "if-I-could've-should've-would've" enablers holding me back, so I applied to college.
I obtained a full-time job at ITT / ACD, which helped with my finances, but my time management between work, school, activism, and social life was hard to maintain.
With doing too much, I got into a car accident. Luckily, I wasn't hurt, and I didn't hurt anyone else. My car was totaled. My mother asked me, "What are you giving up?" I focused on work and school.
Although, I could only manage working full-time at my job, and sometimes picking up a part-time job, I could only do part-time school, so it took me 9 years to get my BA and minor. It was worth it.
To continue my education, I broke off an engagement, lost friends, quit a good paying job, and uprooted myself to pursue my dream of writing. Then, I had to deal with 9/11--1st year of grad school.
I recall going to family funerals, losing a close friend in a car accident, feeling lost, but then finding an amazing group of individuals that are my friends / family until this day.
After divorce, lost, and heartache, I'm still standing. I'm still creating new courses, meeting new people, and learning from them, as hopefully much as they learn from me. I am part of a community.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Associate Professor of English
I teach writing--poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, technical, expository, composition, etc.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Writing
Education
Being Creative
Day to Day
I usually have 3 preps, which means, 3 different courses that I prepare for. I follow a syllabus that I design / construct before my classes meet. There is a calendar on the syllabus that the class and I follow. I prepare by doing any reading that we must do for that day on the calendar, and by attending to assignments and the like. We follow a number of things: peer, group, or workshop assignments. I work with the class to open up, and share their views. We do it all through reading and writing.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Get over the fear of being successful. A lot of times we put ourselves in these arbitrary realms that success will change us (for the worse). In just believing that, we limit who and what we can be. We have to face our fear of success. We have to face that we will fail sometimes. We have to understand that failing sometimes, and dusting ourselves off, learning from our faults, and correcting them, will get us to where we want to be. The more we learn about our hinderances, the more we grow.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"When I went from architecture to poetry, many people questioned what I did: "How will you make any money as a poet?" "Why are you giving up architecture, are you sure you want to do that?"
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation College Student
