Outstanding Teacher: Joshua McKinney

Joshua McKinney

There is a splendid moment in the world. These words by Joshua McKinney comprise the first line in a poem inspired by his life and experiences as a teacher. But even his poetry could not have expressed his satisfaction when he was named the 2005 College of Arts and Letters Outstanding Teacher Award.

“Being a teacher I never get bored,” he explains. “I love where I’m at and I love what I do.” The Humboldt County native is a professor of English, creative writing, poetry and literature at Sacramento State and for the last five years it’s been his passion for poetry and his creativity that’s made him a standout to his colleagues and students.

McKinney says one of his biggest challenges in the classroom is captivating students’ attention. He says the skill to entertain and capture the interest of students is acquired with experience. “I think a large part of it has to do with your personality. If you can cite your students’ interests and relate to them, you can help them make discoveries on their own,” he says.

His positive influence on his pupils is evident—one of McKinney’s nominations for the Outstanding Teacher Award came from a student. “It’s one thing to be nominated by a fellow professor, but to be recognized by a student is really rewarding because it just shows the kind of effect you can have on them,” he says.

And although he is officially a professor of English, McKinney’s passion is poetry. His first book of poetry, Saunter, was published in 2002 and won the University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry Series competition. His book The Novice Mourner, released this fall, won the Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize. Dedicated to his late father, it’s a collection of poems that McKinney has compiled over the last 15 years that deal with his memories and emotions.

“The book follows an arc. It’s got a lot of emotions dealing with loss and grieving, but it has a conciliatory ending that deals with my acceptance,” he says.

In the classroom he says that his first-hand experience with the literary art is essential in teaching the fundamental ideas of poetry, both in writing it and reading it.

“The biggest mistake people make when they write poetry is that they haven’t read enough of it. The more you’re exposed to it the better feel and the more respect you gain for it. You have to understand the way in which poetry is written varies and it’s not always meant to be appreciated in the same way,” he says. “Some poems are meant to convey meaning, while some are meant to express sound, and others are written to show imagery.”

But McKinney stresses that no two people will write poetry the same. He says that he encourages students to find their own style of writing but that the imitation phase is an important part of a poet’s career.