On November 19, the HASS Hour will present associate professor of English Steve Shively with Willa Cather: From Nebraska to Utah State to the World”. The event will take place at 5:15 pm at Hamiton's Steak and Seafood. The cost is $6.95. For planning purposes, an RSVP is appreciated. Please call Teri Guy at 435.797.4072.
Shively teaches courses in American Literature and English Education. He is co-founder and editor of Teaching Cather, a journal which focuses on pedagogy in high schools, colleges, and universities. He is also co-editor of Teaching the Works of Willa Cather, and has published essays on writers from the Great Plains and the Harlem Renaissance. He is a regular presenter at academic conferences as well as for libraries and schools. In 2007 he presented a plenary session paper at the International Cather Seminar in Avignon, France. For an in-depth article on Steve Shively by English Education major Chism Nash, click here
Professor of English Brings Commitment to Students and Love of Willa Cather
Dr. Steve Shively arrived at USU in 2008. He had been teaching college English at several other universities before arriving in Utah. Dr. Shively brings with him a diverse past and a contagious love for the works of Willa Cather. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Educational Foundation and is one of the editors of the book, Teaching the Works of Willa Cather.
Dr. Shively grew up in Nebraska. He attended junior high school in the small town of Norfolk in the same building as the late Johnny Carson, long-time host of the Tonight Show, though not at the same time. Shortly after, he and his family moved to Columbus, Nebraska, where he graduated from high school. He attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and a minor in English. He admits that his students can always tell how well the Huskers football team did over the weekend as his mood is greatly influenced by the team's success.
He began his academic career teaching Speech and Debate to high school students with the occasional English class, and he says that is where his interest in literature began.
He quit teaching for a year and dabbled in other interests before deciding he wanted to return to the profession. The Speech and Debate position had already been filled, so he was hired as a full-time substitute teacher, teaching English. He was told he had to take the National Teaching Exam (an equivalent to today's Praxis exam) in order to get a teaching contract.
His love for Willa Cather's work took off at this time. He had previous exposure to Cather, as he grew up in Nebraska, but not a lot of interest. When Dr. Shively took over the English courses, he wanted to make it his own and thought that teaching about Nebraska authors would be a great topic.
He studied as much as he could about Nebraska writers, reading their works intensively. Cather was at the top of list. He soon found himself in touch with a network of teachers and scholars interested in Cather, and his admiration for her works increased.
After fourteen years of teaching high school, Dr. Shively felt it was time for a change. There were three reasons he decided to quit teaching high school and pursue his doctorate degree. First, the English Department Chair where he had taught retired. She was not only a good friend, but a mentor and a like-minded individual. He felt a great loss at her absence. Second, he had reached the point, “Where I saw several teachers, who were excellent teachers, lose their desire and effectiveness at teaching. And that was all too common.” He decided he needed to move on before the same thing happened to him, “I was scared that it might.” he said. Third, he had attended a summer institute and studied teaching literature. He met with all different types of graduate students and scholars, and his eyes were opened to a whole new world.
While most teachers achieve their graduate degrees while still teaching, Shively felt that was something he could not do. As a teacher, he became very involved with his students and the community and felt in order to do either his education or his students any justice, he had to choose just one. He quit teaching and pursued his Master's and doctorate degrees.
In deciding to come to USU, he explained it as a sense of adventure and change. He also said it was a professional advancement. At USU, he can focus on teaching upper division classes. Also, Utah State hosts the Western Literature Association, and Willa Cather is an important part of the canon. Another motivating factor was that he could also focus on scholarship at Utah State as it is a research university.
There were two pieces of advice he offered to students soon to be graduating and moving on into English teaching positions. “First,” he said, “read a lot.” The purpose behind reading a good deal is that teachers can learn new ideas from expanding their reading. He also pointed out that one can be a much more effective teacher by knowing what his or her students read and becoming familiar with those works. There is also more choice available when it comes to teaching; the more books you know, the broader the range and deeper the choice when it comes to choosing works to teach in the class room.
His second piece of advice is for all teachers, not just English teachers, to become “as fully engaged as possible in the school and in the community.” He pointed out that teachers need to know their students beyond the classroom. Attend their sporting events, musical and theater performances; get to know them as “broader based human beings.” This piece of advice is something that Dr. Shively has consistently put into practice. Dr. Shively's wealth of experience in the classroom is being shared with students who intend to follow his path and teach in the public schools.