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Thomas\u2019 book is the culmination of his experiences spanning nearly 40 years as both a writer and a teacher of writing.<\/p><\/div>\n
His book, \u201cTeaching Writing as Journey, Not Destination: Essays Exploring What \u2018Teaching Writing\u2019 Means\u201d is the culmination of Thomas\u2019 experiences spanning nearly 40 years as both a writer and a teacher of writing. It is published by Information Age Publishing, Inc., which offers this description:<\/p>\n
This volume collects essays that examine the enduring and contemporary questions facing writing teachers, including grammar instruction, authentic practices in high-stakes environments, student choice, citation and plagiarism, the five-paragraph essay, grading, and the intersections of being a writer and teaching writing. Thomas offers concrete classroom experiences drawn from teaching high school ELA, first-year composition, and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses. Ultimately, however, the essays are a reflection of Thomas\u2019s journey and a concession to both writing and teaching writing as journeys without ultimate destinations.<\/p>\n
The preface of \u201cTeaching Writing as Journey\u201d is penned by distinguished Furman graduate (2015-16 Furman Fellow) and current Travelers Rest High School English teacher and English Department Chair Kristen Marakoff.<\/p>\n
Before joining the Furman faculty in 2002, Thomas taught high school English in rural South Carolina. He earned undergraduate, master\u2019s and doctoral degrees in education from the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n
He is a column co-editor for the English Journal, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, and series editor for \u201cCritical Literacy Teaching Series: Challenging Authors and Genres\u201d (Sense Publishers), for which he authored the first volume\u2014\u201cChallenging Genres: Comics and Graphic Novels\u201d in 2010 and co-edited a volume about James Baldwin in 2014.<\/p>\n
In addition to Baldwin, Thomas has published books about Barbara Kingsolver, Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Ralph Ellison, and Haruki Murakami; and his recent books include \u201cCritical Media Literacy and Fake News in Post-Truth America\u201d (Brill\/Sense, 2018), \u201cTrumplandia: Unmasking Post-Truth America\u201d (Garn, 2017), \u201cDe-Testing and De-Grading Schools\u201d (Peter Lang USA, 2016), \u201cPedagogies of Kindness and Respect: On the Lives and Education of Children\u201d (Peter Lang USA, 2015) and \u201cBeware the Roadbuilders\u201d (Garn, 2015).<\/p>\n
He was the 2013 recipient of the George Orwell Award presented by the National Council of Teachers of English, and has written commentaries for the Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Education Week, The State, and The Greenville News.<\/p>\n