Reflecting on Indy…

It’s hard to believe that the 2018 TYCA Midwest conference is over, and we are looking forward to the 2019 Akron conference. It wasn’t that long ago that I was sitting at my first TYCA meeting as the Indiana representative. When I mentioned Ivy Tech Community College, everyone around the table clapped and chanted. I […]

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Hey TYCA Midwest, I’m Sarah Z Johnson, your new Chair, and I’m excited to be one of the people steering this ship for a while. I want to start by congratulating Renee Rule and her entire team at Ivy Tech. Our conference last October in Indianapolis was amazing—research that challenged my assumptions, colleagues that encouraged […]

Conference Session Preview–Quality Assurance

Curious about which session to attend this fall…here’s a teaser… Jenny Pecora-Kettley, Linsey Cuti, and Trisha Dandurand, Kankakee Community College “Going Out on a Limb: Increasing Hybrid Offerings while Ensuring Quality” Learn about what the Humanities & Social Sciences division at Kankakee Community College has been working on to increase the number of hybrid course […]

Conference Session Preview–Global Perspectives

Curious about which session to attend this fall…here’s a teaser… Brian Lewis, Century College “Teaching on the Edge Overseas: How Does It Apply to Our Students?” In this session, I will present my experiences teaching and lecturing at overseas universities and then describe how what I learned may apply to the community college English classroom. […]

Conference Session Preview–Let’s Get Meta!

Curious about which session to attend this fall…here’s a teaser… Ruth Benander and Brenda Refaei, University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College “Reading in Basic Writing: Moving from the Edge to the Center” This workshop will guide participants through a review of approaches to reading instruction in composition courses with an eye to adapting them for […]

TYCA-Midwest Needs You!

TYCA-Midwest Needs You! TYCA-MW is seeking nominations for new executive board members, NCTE representative, and members of the elections committee! Serving on the TYCA-MW Board is rewarding and fun. The board helps to plan the annual conference, recruit new members, and advocates for English teachers at the national conference. If you know someone who might […]

Message from the Chair–PTCLD

I Suffer from PTCLD by Mary Gruis, Ridgewater College Greetings from the Chair: When I wrote this piece, I think I was still recovering from Post-TYCA Conference Let Down (PTCLD).  Yes.  I believe it is a real condition.  My friend and TYCA pal, Sybil Priebe, described it in this way… “You get all excited for […]

Conference Reflection–Remembering Neville Britto

Remembering Neville Britto: Friend, Mentor, and Hero by Jen Richrath, Professor, Illinois Central College / with excerpts from Larry McDoniel and from Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press Why do we do what we do? How can we make a difference? Who will remember? When the papers are piling up and the committee work seems […]

Midwest Messenger–What the heck is it?

The Midwest Messenger is the regional publication for TYCA Midwest. Over the years, the Messenger has morphed from a paper newsletter that members received in the mail, to an electronic file that was emailed to the membership, and now the publication is in Blog form! TYCA Midwest members can email the editor their submissions for […]

Conference Session Preview–Ban the Burn-out

Curious about which session to attend this fall…here’s a teaser… Celia Swanson, Century College “Playing with Creativity” Jump-Start Your Creative Energy!  One of the dangers of teaching is reaching a state of creative “burn-out”.  What can we do to reignite the flame of creativity and energy in our lives, so we can bring that to […]