July 20, 2008 11:27 pm
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Bridget Beaver could have retired 10 years ago, but she’s not thinking about retiring in even the next five years.
She likes her work too much.
Beaver teaches English composition and is head of the English Department at Connors State College.
“I really love it,” she said. “Oh, sometimes I don’t like grading essays on Sunday afternoons, but I like the students, I like what I teach.”
Since 1974, she figures she’s taught the basics of writing college research papers to more than 8,000 students.
Beaver said those students have learned more than just writing term papers, that in doing those papers they have to read, think and write – all keys to success in life.
She’s not had any of those Hallmark moments when a former student touches her heart with a greeting card telling her how much she impacted their life.
“I do hear from students,” she said, recalling that one former student recently e-mailed her a message, just telling her they had run across her name and were thinking of her.
There was one student she had really tried to encourage when he was playing basketball for Connors and was a student in one of her classes. He eventually dropped out of school.
When she saw him several years later, he told Beaver he still remembered what she had told him in school.
She immediately hoped that she hadn’t said something hurtful.
What she had told him was that he could do better than he was doing. He eventually took her message to heart and finished college.
Love of reading began at an early age
Bridget Beaver said she probably picked English as her college major because of her love for books.
That love began even before she could read.
“My mom was a great storyteller,” Beaver said. “She would tell us stories about when my dad was in the war, about when she was a little girl in Arkansas.”
That led to Beaver exploring the great stories on her own when she learned to read. She devoured the classics, such as “Little Women” and “Black Beauty.”
“Really, I majored in English because I loved literature,” she said.
Experiences more precious than possessions
Beaver collects old books and hotel flatware, but she’s not really a material girl.
“A friend passed this along to me recently: ‘I’m not really big on acquisitions, I have everything I need,’” Beaver said.
She has taken that to heart and collects experiences, not things.
That is why she has enjoyed traveling to Europe and especially Great Britain, where she got to see many of the things she has read about all her life.
She still enjoys the books and flatware though.
“My favorite part about old books is that many of them are dated and inscribed, and I do like to cook for my friends and set the table with flatware marked from all those different hotels,” she said.
Technology appreciated but handwritten work crucial
Beaver remembers the strict rules of grammar she learned in high school — such as, little humans are always children, never kids — kids are baby goats.
Many of those rules have relaxed with a more casual society, she said. Today, use of the word kids in reference to children is not considered grammatically incorrect.
There still are some things that are just totally unacceptable in grammar, Beaver said.
For her, one of them is the bleeding over of text messaging into writing. Text messages are written with most of the words abbreviated.
“We can’t have that,” she said.
Beaver does appreciate having new technology at her fingertips. She encourages students to ask questions by e-mail when they need to.
But she still insists on pencil and paper in class for many of the writing projects she assigns.
That assures that what is turned in is the students’ own work.
Q&A
How did you come to be an Okie from Muskogee?
Beaver came to Connors’ Warner campus with her husband as he interviewed for a job in 1974. One thing led to another, and she was offered a job as a speech teacher. She taught speech for one year before changing to English. They lived in Warner five years before buying a home closer to Muskogee.
How do you make a living in Muskogee?
Teaching.
What would make Muskogee a better place to live?
“One of the things I really am looking forward to is Connors’ new facility on the NSU campus here. It will make it easier for us and our students.”
Is there an Okie from Muskogee who you admire?
“Wren Stratton. I don’t know her personally, but she doesn’t just talk about it, she does it.”
What’s the most memorable thing that has happened to you since you have lived in Muskogee?
“The recent ice storm. I think that was very memorable. We were out of power for two weeks. I wouldn’t want to do that again, but it brought out the best in people.”
How would you sum up Muskogee in 25 words or less?
“It’s right for us. It’s home. I think we’re here to stay.”
Meet Bridget Beaver
AGE: 60.
CAREER: Taught five years at Bixby High School, then taught English at Connors State College since 1974.
EDUCATION: Graduated Morris High School; bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University; master’s from University of Tulsa.
FAMILY: Husband Pete, son John and daughter Brooke. “We lost her in 1996, but she is still an important part of our family,” Beaver said.
HOBBIES: Reading, flower gardening, scouring E-bay for old books and hotel silver flatware.
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Photos
Bridget Beaver, a professor at Connors State College Muskogee campus, has been teaching at the campus since 1974.