Joel Mowdy

Joel Mowdy holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Hofstra University and a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan, where he was a Rackham Fellow. He has been teaching English and Global Perspectives internationally for almost twenty years. He approaches teaching as a partnership grounded in trust, respect, and creativity, and he encourages students to take ownership of their education.

On any given day, a visitor to his classroom might see some students working independently on writing projects, some working in pairs or small groups on an presentation, and others creating storyboards for films they’d conceived or practicing a song they’d written. And in the quietest area of the room, one student who had struggled with a particular concept is now teaching that concept to a peer. He aspires to teach his students to think critically, speak clearly, listen judiciously, and write confidently. He teaches his students that putting thought into essays – or speeches, or presentations – is not a dead-end assessment of their knowledge and ability but a trial of their ideas, and that their ideas develop best under trial.

In addition to teaching, Joel plays guitar, makes art, cooks, and keeps a homestead in the Lithuanian countryside where he and his wife organize artist residencies and other creative events. He is a published author of a collection of short stories, and he regularly publishes personal essays.