Tori Lemon
Lantern Staff
A new school year for students usually entails new classes, new people to meet and new experiences to be had.
Over the years, most students get prepared on what to expect in their next years at college; however, there are new teachers who must go through the same nerves and excitement just as a new student would.
At the beginning of the 2016 fall semester, Butler’s faculty staff increased by 11 people.
Although these teachers have different backgrounds and experiences, they all had the common idea that Butler was the place they wanted to further, or begin, their teaching career.
Trisha Coates was given her first full-time teaching offer in the spring of this year to be a fine arts instructor here at Butler.
Prior to coming to Butler, Coates went to graduate school at Wichita State University and taught at several independent art centers.
Coates said she feels lucky to have gotten the position and that her contract was extended.
Not only is Coates an art instructor, she is also a working ceramics artist outside of school.
“I turned down a teaching position in the summer, so I could have hardcore studio time,” Coates said. “What’s nice is the teaching schedule allows you to condense studio time into academic break time.”
Coates showcased her most recent installations in August’s Final Friday art show in downtown Wichita.
“It’s more than just a passion,” she said. “I consider myself working two jobs.”
In contrast, Catherine Wildman Zoerb, the associate professor of English at Butler’s Rose Hill campus, went from being an online instructor to an in-person teaching position.
“The biggest change is not ‘seeing’ my students so often,” she said. “When I’m online, I hear from students throughout the week, but when I teach face-to-face, I see them in class.”
Before teaching, Zoerb worked at a corporate job where she was later laid off from. She then decided to start the journey of teaching by being a teaching assistant while she was in graduate school just for temporary employment.
“I ended up loving it here so much I never did look for another job,” Zoerb said.
Her teaching journey did not start in the English department, however. She had previously worked for Butler Online when the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant position came open in the Career Technical Education department.
“The TAACCCCT grant had enabled the purchase of some very exciting technology, and I was eager to learn how to use those,” she said.
Her TAACCCT experience had a heavy influence on her full-time English position, and has taught her a lot.
“Knowing how to use various technologies helps me as a teacher,” she said. “I make a lot of videos for my students, and the things I’ve learned in my Butler Online and TAACCCT positions have helped me make much better videos.”
Zoerb loves her journey here with Butler so far and plans to stick around here as long as she is in Kansas.
As students get used to the college setting, these faculty members will have to get used to teaching in it.