Smith is far from a conventional instructor
JENNIFER PEARSON
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Around Campus
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San Jacinto Times
Teacher: Greg Smith
What he teaches: English
Why he's interesting: An unconventional professor who truly cares about his students.
With barely masked glee, Greg Smith opened the doors of the exclusive Texana Collection to reveal a myriad of antique books, all prim and tucked neatly into dust-free shelves whose compartments were filled to capacity. He headed quickly to a glass case, where he explained that in it were first edition publications and books all signed by their respective authors. He further noted that he himself helped obtain a portion of this collection, priced at over six thousand dollars, in hopes that one day it could be of use to historians and researchers alike. Then, after what seemed like a mini-tour about the Texana room, he resumed his spot at the table, his hands fishing through the props and books he had brought specifically for the interview. When the record button was pressed, the interview took off, and would be dominated not by the recitations of his own credentials, but by the sincere joy he experiences from the success of his students, enough to touch the hearts of even the most cynical of San Jacinto journalists.
Initially, Smith's dream was to become a historian. During his undergraduate years at the University of Texas however, Smith began studying the job market and realized that a degree in History may not have been as marketable as he'd liked. "There is no point in getting a degree and then you get out and graduate, but you can't market your degree. I saw that there was a much greater need for English teachers, especially at the college level around the time I would graduate." The high demand for literary majors prompted Smith to obtain a bachelors degree in English, and he immediately pressed onward to graduate school in West Texas A&M University, where he landed his first job teaching freshman English.
"From then on, I had found my dream job, " He said warmly as he recalled this epiphany.
"I was in love with teaching, and I've been teaching college-level English ever since."
While he was working on his master's degree in West Texas A&M, an opportunity to study abroad during the summer took Smith to La Verne University in Athens, Greece. Unfortunately, it was not all island-hopping fun for Smith: Anti-American sentiments due to the recent TWA hijacking made Greece a dangerous place for any United States citizen to visit. "I found myself frequently telling strangers that I would meet at the train that I was Canadian, not American. It was actually dangerous to be an American traveling in Greece at that time." Smith even witnessed riots and machine gun-totting guards patrolling the streets just outside the perimeters of his university. However, despite the political tension, Smith was able to travel throughout many of the Greek islands with relative ease, including Rhodos, Syros, and Santorini.
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