Contributed

Stanly Community College English department head John Bowman recently authored a paper published with the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development – The NISOD Papers.

The paper, titled “One Omits the First Person: An Argument for a Measured Integration of ‘I,’ ” describes the understanding and agency given to students when they are allowed to reclaim their voices through using the first person in academic writing.

Bowman earned a bachelor of arts in English and a master of arts in applied linguistics from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

He has been teaching English courses for SCC since 2010.

“I created this article because as an English instructor I firmly believe that students should be taught how to express their thoughts clearly for others,” Bowman said. “This means that students should not only be taught the basic guidelines of writing, but it also means that students should be taught how to properly take ownership of their own thoughts. At its core, this principle means that students should learn how, when and where to use the first person in their writing.

“If we do not allow the first person, we risk teaching students a form of writing that they will not be able to apply beyond their college experience. Our goal as educators should be to create critical thinkers who are able to navigate the workplace and the modern world; knowing when personal experience is relevant is a crucial part of that outcome.”

NISOD is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges.