Eastern New Mexico University professor Carol Singletary has taught for over 30 years. She is the new director in ENMU’s Writing Center. She encourages students to come in any time they need help.
Born in Oregon, Carol moved up and down the west coast as a child–including Juno, Alaska, Seattle, Washington, and several cities in southern California.
Carol, youngest of three girls, knew she wanted to teach from a young age. In the third grade, she would play school with her dolls and help her friends when they were sick. She would “get their make-up work and help them” because that’s what she “loves to do.”
The “education nerd” volunteered at Philmont Scout Ranch once she got older, where she met her husband. After that, she decided she was “not cut out for little kids” and switched her major to secondary education.
Carol’s husband lived in Texas at the time, while she lived in southern California. Though they didn’t see each other for the next six years, they eventually got married.
In college, she earned her bachelor’s degree in history and took English courses “for fun.” She ended up with a supplementary license in English, though that became her primary license after moving to New Mexico.
Carol and her husband moved to New Mexico after her husband received a job offer because they “both hated southern California so much.” She discovered many history teachers were coaches, so she switched to English.
Since the 80s, she taught English and journalism courses full time until about four years ago.
Carol really cares about her students, always trying to improve her teaching abilities. She enjoys teaching freshman composition and secondary methods courses. The professor hopes to “connect with her students.”
Above anything else, Carol hopes her students learn to “think critically and write clearly” in her courses. She says the idea of thinking critically and writing clearly are not English class lessons, everyone needs to do that. She hopes students learn to think for themselves.
“I want my students to understand that this is important to be a functioning member of society,” Carol said. “People who don’t have these skills are going to be led around by the nose.”
She likes the English department at ENMU for the academic freedom they provide. The department trusts the faculties’ qualifications and allows them to teach freely, without many restrictions.
Carol also loves the atmosphere ENMU president Dr. Stephen Gamble has created. “He seems to know everyone by their first name,” she said. “It will be sad to see him retire.”
In her free time, she loves to read, camp and garden.
Eventually, she would like to retire with her husband and move back to Washington, where she spent her elementary years.
