Know Your Profs is an ongoing series of profiles on the instructors at Camosun College. Every issue we ask a different instructor at Camosun the same 10 questions in an attempt to get to know them a little better.
Do you have an instructor who you want to see interviewed in the paper? Maybe you want to know more about one of your teachers, but you’re too busy, or shy, to ask? Email editor@nexusnewspaper.com and we’ll add your instructor to our list of teachers to talk to.
This issue we talked to English instructor Deanna Roozendaal about her love of Asian cuisine, her interest in hearing about students’ lives, and her frustration with glitchy technology.
1. What do you teach and how long have you been at Camosun?
I started teaching English at Camosun in 1992—I was only 25 at the time. Since then, I’ve been the chair of the English department and the associate dean of Arts. I left the college in 2012 to pursue other goals and dreams, and I’m delighted that teaching called me back to Camosun once again in 2016.
2. What do you personally get out of teaching?
I love being in the classroom with my students. With teaching, I see the tangible results of my work on a daily basis. For example, if my students learn to use commas correctly, I know that their writing will be improved in a tangible way for the future. I love that!
3. What’s one thing you wish your students knew about you?
I wish my students knew that I like hearing about their lives. I am fascinated by people’s real-life stories and dreams for the future, and I often wish I knew more about my students.
4. What’s one thing you wish they didn’t know about you?
I wish my students didn’t know that I forget their names. It’s important to me to address my students by name, and I wish my memory was perfect.
5. What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
The best thing that has happened to me as a teacher is rediscovering my teaching career for a second time in my life. After many years as an associate dean, I threw away my boxes of teaching materials, and I assumed that I’d never teach again. I feel very fortunate that I’m teaching and working directly with students in the classroom once again.
6. What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
My worst teaching nightmare happens when the technology isn’t working in my classroom, and I have to call the support folks to show me which button to push. Ugh!
7. What do you see in the future of post-secondary education?
As a Camosun administrator, I often pondered the future and considered how we might plan for upcoming changes in post-secondary education and in careers. Now, as a teacher, I focus on the present in my classroom, and I delight in considering what’s possible in this moment. I aim to be fully present and available to my students in a way that I hope will assist them in their future goals.
8. What do you do to relax on the weekends?
My husband and I relax by going on our boat. Recently, we spent three years sailing the Pacific coastline to Mexico and then across the South Pacific Islands to Australia. I feel calm and peaceful almost the minute we leave the dock and get out on the ocean.
9. What is your favourite meal?
My favourite meal is anything Asian. I could eat Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese food every night of the week, and I wish I could cook more of these cuisines at home.
10. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
I am frustrated by students who are late and unprepared for class. I was one of these students, and I took steps to change this habit. Being on time and prepared sets a person up for success, and I’d like more students to learn and change this behaviour.