About

I began teaching (formally) as an undergraduate at Central Michigan University. It all started after I gave a presentation in one of my Interpersonal and Public Communication courses. My professor liked what she saw and asked me if I was interested in becoming an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) for their basic communication course. Thankfully, my excitement overwhelmed my reality and I made it through the semester.

I graduated and continued at The Pennsylvania State University. I got more than I bargained for. My students loved my classes, but looking back makes me want to find them all and apologize for the course. Did they learn anything? I must have known that I was a mess because I wrote my thesis on the lesson planning of graduate teaching assistants. If you are wondering, there wasn't much planning. At least not on my part. I spent a lot of time reacting. But the most important lesson I learned was to keep track of my experiences and learn from them.

After graduation, I had a short and insightful stint in residence life. I did some part-time teaching here and there. And then my grad school friend emailed me about a job teaching. Full-time. Yes. Full-time. It was 1995. I applied and was offered the position.

I've been teaching college since 1995. You can read more about me by visiting my profile on my department website. Over the years, I've moved. Moved again. Opened a successful sewing and pattern design business (http://mselaineousteachessewing.blogspot.com/). And evolved as a teacher. I'll be sharing assignments and instructional aids along with stories and insights.


And if you are wondering, Ms.Elaineous isn't a person. In 2004, I began sewing and needed a business name. I came up with that after searching terms on Thesaurus.com. It worked then and makes even more sense now! I have a lot of different interests!

Thank you for visiting my blog!