The Love of Teaching:
The Excitement of Teaching First-Year Composition and Rhetoric
Gabrielle Wilkosz has been succeeding as an ambitious student, teacher, and writer here at the College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities at Clemson University. Wilkosz has traveled the world teaching grammar and lecturing on various studies of literature, such as the American culture in Malaysia where she interacted with the students while also inspiring them to become better writers. Gabrielle Wilkosz is a graduate assistant in the department of English pursuing her Master of Arts in English here at Clemson University. Wilkosz graduated from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, magna cum laude, and earned a B.A. in English Writing and Rhetoric with a specialization in professional writing. After graduating in 2019, she pursued a Fulbright grant awarded by the US Department of State. Wilkosz also lived in Southeast Asia for a year and taught English as a local cultural ambassador. As a graduate assistant in the English M.A. program at Clemson University, her interests include first-year writing studies, cross-cultural rhetorics, post-apocalyptic literature, and cultural criticism.
When asked about what it is like teaching for the first time here at Clemson University, Wilkosz responded, “My first time teaching at Clemson was amazing because the students are very respectful and fun. I try to include a lot of activities that get them up and out of their seats and I find that students respond really well to that.” Wilkosz also believes student teaching is like, Wilkosz responded, “Teaching as a GA is a versatile experience and you get to be diverse and experience the excitement of learning with the students.”
Wilkosz keeps to a routine to help balance her day-to-day life. When asked about her day-to-day activities, Wilkosz responded, “ I wake up early in the morning around 5:50 a.m. to walk my dalmatian named Winnie, and feed him, and get on the bus. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I teach two sections, have 42 students and try to respond to my emails in the mornings and start classes around 8:00 a.m. and finish around 10:45 a.m.”
Wilkosz enjoys teaching her students about the importance of being a good writer. When asked what is the best part about being a graduate assistant, Gabrielle responded, “I love it when students ask questions and want to learn more. I also love it when students search for a deeper meaning to the topics discussed in the classroom.”
Wilkosz’s future plans include running a first-year writing studies program at a university. Her focus is teaching instructors of first-year writing composition how to effectively reach students. Wilkosz expressed how a lot of times students taking freshman writing courses are STEM majors or haven’t found an attraction to English. Wilkosz also expresses how she loves to “put a lot of love and thought into how English is taught at a department level.”
If you are interested in learning more about what courses Wilkosz teaches, you can reach out to her via email at gwilkos@g.clemson.edu and get a chance to learn about why English courses are so important in society today.
Written by: Acacia Bryant
9/29/2021