For a lot of college students, English is nothing more than a prerequisite that must be suffered through: Get the ‘A’ and get out. You don’t expect to learn much, except how to get good at writing a bunch of fluff, but every once in a while you get that one teacher that actually cares if you learn.
Dr. Kirstie Fleckenstein is one of those teachers. She wholeheartedly believes in education and has dedicated her life to not just teaching, but helping students learn skills that will affect the rest of their lives.
Dr. Fleckenstein was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, a small town on the Grand River. At the time, “it was this one street light town.” She was the first in her family to go to college. “My dad believed that the way out of the working class, the way to have a secure life, was to get an education.” In college she studied English and Journalism, wanting to be a writer. “I took English for fun, because I loved English.” After she graduated, she worked for only two months as a journalist before she was offered a teaching position and realized that this was her passion. “I love teaching. I love being paid to learn.” Dr. Fleckenstein is now the Director of Undergraduate studies in the English department at Florida State and has written a book, Vision, Rhetoric, and Social Action in the Composition Classroom, which won the 2009 W. Ross Winterowd Award.
For those of you interested in impressing your teachers, Dr. Fleckenstein defines a good student as someone who tries hard, explaining, “Someone who does the homework, thinking about the material, grappling with it, asking questions about it. I really like that kind of student.” She loves to work with students that are interested in getting more out of her class than just an ‘A’. Dr. Fleckenstein also specializes in rhetoric, and when asked what her secret was to being an exceptional public speaker, she replied, “You have to do it, so just get over it.” She pointed out that it’s possible for anyone to be a good speaker. She says that some of history’s most famous speakers, including Socrates, had stage fright.
Dr. Fleckenstein also shared that her secret to motivating students is to “Provide them with opportunities to demonstrate how smart they are,” and to “figure out the kinds of questions that illicit engagement from them.” She stated that each class is unique and that you must figure out the right questions to ask in each one. “Being able to motivate students -to help them truly want to learn- is a valuable gift.” She also said that if she could share any of her insight about education, it would be that, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a good grade in your class because you need it for your G.P.A., but I would hope that you find some joy in class that goes beyond the ‘A’. So, you carry with you not just the ‘A’, but something from the class that made you look at the world a little differently.” Dr. Fleckenstein is passionate about assisting students in learning new truths and skills that will not just simply be useful, but will alter their perspectives on life.
It’s not often that we find teachers who can motivate us and make us feel inspired to excel. It’s teachers like these who touch our lives and provoke us to see the world differently. Most importantly, they teach us to open our minds to be a better version of ours.