Deborah D. Frattini, M.F.A.

• Invitation to Insight I
• Invitation to Insight II
• Literature of the Immigrant
• The Short Story
• Introduction to College Writing
• Reading Texts in Context I
• Reading Texts in Context II
• Written Expression I
• Written Expression II
• Honors Writing for Humanities
• Literary Genres

When I began teaching in college over twenty years ago, I brought both the heart of a generalist and a belief in the importance of liberal arts as foundational to all higher education learning. I continue to subscribe to the interconnectedness of life; thus, I favor an interdisciplinary, integrative, approach to learning. Since knowledge does not exist in a vacuum, I favor extending connections between the theoretical and the practical within and among disciplines. I want my students to see that education means immersion in the world around them.

I believe in wonder. Among my goals is that my students will feel inspired. Teaching in a small college means I have the opportunity to interact with each of my students in a meaningful way. Although I wear a generalist's hat, I often focus on the teaching of English and the empowering potential of words. Vehicles for discovery, words open doors that never close. Literature provides examples and opportunities to perceive relationships among seemingly unrelated things. I want my students to feel the joy that comes from learning something new, from seeing into and beyond a concept, and from recognizing the importance of human agency in the story of this planet. Always, I emphasize the value of communication, oral and written, in building understanding and tolerance, as well as reverence and gratitude for being alive.

I favor active, collaborative learning that accommodates the diversity in today's classroom. Collaborative learning is one important pedagogical component of my teaching. In the Albertus community, it reflects the Dominican values of interdependence and involvement. Ultimately, I see education as a means to transformation. As students are taught to see connections, they gain insights; as students come to understand the power of language, they develop into effective communicators; as students are inspired, they become thoughtful, enthusiastic learners. Ultimately, they are transformed. This is what education is supposed to do; it is what it must do. It is my privilege to be given the opportunity to participate in this transformation.

Alumna of the Year, Albertus Magnus College, 1998

Teacher of the Year Award, Consortium for the Advancement of Adult Higher Education (CAAHE), St Louis, Missouri, June, 1999

Hearts of the Community Award, Sacred Heart Academy, March, 2003