English At 50 | University of Waterloo

Danielle Millar (BA 2005, MA 2007) counts herself fortunate to have experienced English at the University of Waterloo. There is something special about the professors here, she believes, because the teachers at UW set themselves apart from those of other institutions by actively pushing students to be the best they can be while encouraging them to be active members in both the university and society at large.

Like many first year Arts students, Danielle was initially unsure about which major would suit her best. After doing very well in a first year writing course with Danine Farquharson, the then-St. Jerome’s professor encouraged her to major in English; in fact, Waterloo invited her to the Rhetoric and Professional Writing program in a letter towards the end of first year. By second year, Danielle switched out of Arts Co-op because she quickly came to realize exactly what she wanted to do after school—she wanted to teach. Knowing that she planned to be a teacher, she added a minor in Speech Communication to her studies, enabling her to study the process in which people create meaning through interaction.

While studying for her undergrad degree, Danielle tutored aspiring Master’s students by editing their resumes and cover letters to co-op placements and helping them apply for jobs. Being close to these students reinforced her own desire to enroll in a Master’s program herself one day.

The devotion that English professors at the university have to their students was demonstrated to Danielle in a big way when she was applying for graduate studies across Ontario. When she asked Dr. Katherine Acheson to read over her application, Professor Acheson gave her a brutally honest assessment, telling her that schools "don’t want to hear that you are a good person—they assume you are; they want to know if you are ready for the program, and have researched into some of the courses and professors that can assist you in your own take of the program offerings." She then helped Danielle write up a new letter, ensuring her acceptance into every school she applied to. "Anyone who thinks that university professors don’t care about students just doesn’t know the professors at Waterloo," says Danielle.

Whilst studying for her MA in Rhetoric and Communication Design, Danielle added a post-degree minor in History to her resume for teacher's college—an entirely free addition to her tuition bill, but a rewarding experience that allowed her to study History by Distance Education while pursuing her MA. Her desire to study History as a second teachable came from a class she took with Dr. Shelley Hulan. She explains that Dr. Hulan "brought Canadian Literature to life through an exploration of Nova Scotia’s historical fiction. It was an enriching and wonderful course."

Danielle's all-time favourite course was Theory and Criticism, taught by Dr. Acheson and Dr. Randy Harris. From the outside, it appeared to be a painful lesson in theory that students would simply have to get through. Yet she remembers their tremendous knowledge of the course material, as well as the deep respect that the instructors demonstrated for each other and for the class. The class environment was incredibly relaxed; Danielle and her classmates were encouraged to bring in food to share with each other and their teachers. Summing up her Theory and Criticism experience, Danielle says Drs. Acheson and Harris were "incredible facilitators."

Once she graduated from the MA program, Danielle went to teachers college in Ottawa for a year. After graduation, she taught for a year at Beaconsfield High School in the West Island of Montreal, Quebec. Today, she currently teaches at Humber College in Toronto, a job that allows her to teach the skill of critical thinking applied to media and communications; her personal acquisition of this skill is something for which she thanks all her English professors at UW.

Ms. Danielle Millar (BA 2005, MA 2007)