A seed that fell upon good soil: Haley Gambrell’s experience of going from student to teacher
Trinity Adams, News and Feature Editor
In Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus tells the parable of the seeds. He describes what happens to seeds that fall among thorns, on dry land and in good soil. He says that seeds that fell on good soil ended up producing crops 30, 60 and 100 times bigger than what was originally planted. The story of Haley Gambrell is one of seeds that fell on good soil, following where the Lord led her in each season of life.
Her plans for coming to NGU were to graduate with a degree in English and then to go to graduate school to get a degree in library science. Her original end goal was to be an elementary school librarian. She was on track to follow that plan until her senior year, when she was presented with a job opportunity.
The then dean of humanities, Catherine Sepko, and English department chair, Cheryl Collier, approached Gambrell with a staff position. They knew that she wanted to work in a library, and the position allowed her to do that. That would split her time between the library and the writing center.
“Essentially, I would work mornings in the library and afternoons in the writing center. I loved that,” said Gambrell.
Gambrell began working in the writing center as a work-study during her junior year, which made her the perfect candidate for the position. She interviewed for the position the day before she graduated in 2007 and received the position before she even walked the stage. She went back home for a week before she packed all of her things and moved to the Tigerville area to begin working full-time. Once she began, Gambrell quickly fell in love with the position. Although she loved the libraries, it was clear to her that her passion lay more in the writing center. What proved to her was the opportunity to work one-on-one with students.
During the time she worked there, Gambrell described the writing center as one of the most used programs on campus. They were open all day, every day, and had tutors in there from almost every subject. They saw hundreds of students over a month and even had faculty working in there to help students.
“I was the staff person, so I worked the most hours out of everyone, and I loved it. I would work five-hour shifts non-stop. I would be tired, but also just really loved the work. I loved working with students to help them improve their essays and getting to develop a relationship with them,” explained Gambrell.
This passion that she developed in the writing center allowed her to open her eyes to something that God had been showing her since she began volunteering during her junior year of college: she should teach writing to students. When she came to this realization, she quickly scrapped all of her applications to library school and decided that she would get her master of arts in teaching, which would allow her to teach high school English.
She began pursuing her classes for her M.A.T. at Converse University and realized that she had a lot to juggle. She was still working full time at NGU and taking two classes a semester for her M.A.T.
In 2009, two years into her master’s program, Sepko and Collier approached her with an opportunity to teach a class. One of the professors in the English department had to step back due to health issues. With just a bachelor’s degree, Gambrell was able to teach developmental writing, which is a class for students who don’t place into composition and rhetoric. She began teaching two sections of developmental writing less than 24 hours after she signed her contract to be an adjunct professor.
Gambrell recalled her immediate love and passion that she found in teaching, despite not fully knowing what she was doing. She did not have time to change the syllabus for her classes, but walked in confidently and did not show them that she was terrified.
She was 24 at the time, teaching two classes, driving to graduate school in Spartanburg several afternoons a week and then coming back to campus to work nights at the writing center. She is now Facebook friends with most of her students from the very first class and is so impressed with how far all of them have come in life.
“That class in particular I am always going to think fondly about because they were my very first experience. We had a good time,” shared Gambrell.
She recalls that not all of her first teaching interactions were the best, as she had students who were pretty adamant about their dislike for English. On the other hand, she looks back on the good times she had with her students. The ability to make that class something that they needed and looked forward to all at once.
During that time, she realized that the degree she was pursuing would no longer be the right fit for her. Rather than teaching, she realized that she would rather just write a thesis. Thanks to the suggestion of a friend, she switched to Garner-Webb’s Master’s of English program, which was designed for people who worked full-time.
“It took me four years to get a master’s degree, but I did it. I taught two classes in the fall and one in the spring while attending my own classes and working full-time. I graduated from Garner-Webb in May 2012. That fall, I picked up a third class,” said Gambrell.
The next year, after she picked up a fourth class, Gambrell had a conversation with Sepko and Collier, explaining that there was too much for her to juggle between teaching four classes and still working full-time in the library and writing center. After the conversation and a strange but helpful switch around, Gambrell was able to accept a part-time library position and a combination adjunct and writing center full-time position.
“It happened mid-semester, which had never happened. I officially became a full-time professor on November 1 of that year [2014]. It was a very weird transitional time,” explained Gambrell.
Despite the strange transition, she quickly found her rhythm as a full-time faculty member. In 2020, while she went slightly stir crazy from quarantine, she decided that she wanted to get a degree in creative nonfiction writing. She went back to Converse University to pursue this degree because of a professor whom she had when she first attended. That professor ended up becoming her mentor and helped her through to the completion of her degree.
In 2021, Gambrell decided to step down as director of the writing center to become the advisor for the Mountain Laurel. This still gave her an opportunity outside of her classes to help students flourish in their writing skills and create something that they are proud of.
This year’s issue of the Mountain Laurel was released on April 22. Student editor Blake Petteway mentioned that his time spent with Gambrell as both a student and on the editorial staff is one that he cherishes.
“Ms. Gambrell consistently creates environments where vulnerability, productivity and true progress can exist. She strives to see people become better learners in all aspects,” said Petteway.
He explained that Gambrell has always made herself available to her students, not just as a professor but as a human. He always left his time with Gambrell with a good laugh, sound advice and sometimes a snack. Petteway is part of the crop that Gambrell yields from, as a seed that fell upon good soil.
Featured image courtesy of Blake Petteway
