Tag Archives: Washington

My Story Episode 20: Harry Potter and Pedagogy

 

2016-11-09

Episode 20 of the BYU English Society’s podcast, My Story, features Nicole Westenskow, Whitney Sommerville, Tyler McCombs, and Stephen Nothum. This dynamic team of English Teaching Majors came together a few years back as a unsettled group BYU students. After doing their time at the university they are all now teaching full time here in Utah, and have made themselves known to the world for their unique achievements while here at BYU. In this episode the groups shares with us their unique pathway to the English Teaching Major, and highlights their experience while conducting research on Harry Potter and Pedagogy (for those of you who don’t know, that means teaching methods). This episode is a must listen for all of those Harry Potter fans, English Teaching hopefuls, and anyone else who wants to know a whole lot about what it means to be an English Major. Play the podcast embedded below, and check out all of our awesome episodes featuring stories on how to apply your English by visiting the BYU English Society SoundCloud page.

Check out the interview HERE

Hello, I’m Emily Strong

I’m a lover of fantasy, Batman, and Disney; I’m a doodler, and a professional movie quoter… And I’m an English major!

Emily Strong

Please enjoy this picture of my face.

Ever since I was young, I have loved to read and write. I read so much that my mom had to ground me from it! I started writing stories when I was elementary school, but I just need to work on finishing them. Someday I hope to be a published author, and I am also investigating the possibility of going into editing and publishing. This being my first semester here at BYU, I am considered a freshman. However, I was able to attend a community college during high school (In Tri-Cities, Washington) for dual credit, so I already have my Associates Degree. I am excited to be able to jump right into my major with the hope of being able to keep up with all the seasoned writers!

Some of my favorite literature is Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s Wheel of Time series

Find me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Hi, I’m Abbie

I’m a vintage book enthusiast, a Seattleite, a bit of a Burt’s Bees snob, and a definite lover of OPI. And I’m an English major.

Yes, that is me in the mustard costume. And yes, I think that's my best look, too.

Yes, that is me in the mustard costume. And yes, I think that’s my best look, too.

When I first learned to read, my whole world changed. I was finally granted access to this secret and incredible society of books, and I was honestly angry at my mom for not teaching me sooner. Street signs and restaurant menus contained meaning for the first time. It was that moment, when my life of hieroglyphs became comprehensible, that I knew reading would come to characterize my very identity. During car rides, no matter how far, I would read every piece of information and try to win each passenger over by my seemingly magnificent skills. Even today I am floored when people aren’t as awed by literature as I am.

One of my favorite books is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.