Native Houstonian, Tanya Stanley, is a rarity – she loves the city’s scorching summers and humidity. It is one of the reasons the San Jacinto College professor has made her career here, helping thousands of students adjust to college culture and become better writers.
As a 2006 San Jacinto College graduate with her associate degree in English language and literature, Stanley transferred to the University of Houston-Clear Lake to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in literature.
She is now a full-time professor with accomplishments as a presenter for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, the Texas Community College Teachers Association (TCCTA), Portland State University, and Best Practices via WebEx. She is a member of the TCCTA, the Texas Association for Developmental Education, and the National Association for Developmental Education.
What inspired you to work in education?
“I have always wanted to be a teacher. When my sister and I played together as children, we often played school, and I always wanted to be the teacher. After taking the introduction to education course at the San Jacinto College Central Campus, I realized that I wanted to become a professor. After taking a later British literature course, I became determined to be an English professor.”
When did you join San Jacinto College?
“I joined San Jacinto College as a supplemental instruction leader in 2005 at the South Campus, under the direction of Martha Robertson. Then, in 2006, I became a tutor for the Central Campus Student Success Center. In 2007, I began working full-time for the college as the supervisor for the campus’ Student Success Center, under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Goosen. I started teaching part-time for SJC in the summer of 2010, and I became a full-time professor in 2012.”
What is your goal as a professor?
“My goal as a college prep reading and writing professor is to always incorporate real-world skills into the classroom. The skills I teach in the advanced integrated reading and writing courses are transferable to other courses and to the job market. My students may not ever write an essay for their future occupations, but they will need to be able to write cover letters and resumes when they apply for their dream jobs and they will be writing in some capacity for their employers. I also teach students how to create blogs and how to use social media effectively because many employers are using these avenues for marketing and advertising purposes. Since my students have these abilities, they may receive more calls for interviews.”
What are some of the challenges?
“Many students come to college needing preparation in reading and writing, and most of them cannot understand why they need to prepare for college if they recently graduated from high school. Helping students understand their weaknesses and turning those weaknesses into strengths is hard work but it is always rewarding.
Many students tend to struggle with meeting deadlines, and many of them learn negative impacts of not meeting deadlines within the first few weeks of the semester. Keeping this expectation within all of my courses helps students understand the importance of deadlines and meeting (and sometimes exceeding) expectations in their academic
world and hopefully in their professional world.”
What are some of the rewards?
“The rewards include students gaining personal responsibility, thinking critically about what they read and write, and learning that their attitude is what makes them successful, not their supposed abilities. Many students follow me to other courses the succeeding semester, and I know those students want to be challenged academically.”
Any favorite moments as a professor to share?
“Being named the 2013-2014 Outstanding Faculty Member of Central Campus is a huge honor. Having my students participate in service-learning projects has provided all of us with a connection to our community in a way I had not even fathomed was possible. I cannot imagine my courses without service-learning. We participated in Get Lit annual festival this year under the guidance and creativity of Professor Karen Boyce, and I somehow became the Texan Cinderella (tiara and all).”
Jeannie Peng-Armao