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Hello

My name is Valerie Malott, also known as "Prof Malott". I'm a college educator who teaches English Composition. This site has grown out of my YouTube Channel which I began during the COVID-19 pandemic when I started to teach remotely. Although I've returned to the classroom, I still enjoy creating content. I especially enjoy working with older, so-called "non-traditional" students and those who have struggled in their educational journeys.

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My Story

So, why have I created this website? 

I think it helps if I tell you a little about my own educational journey. I started out as a traditional college student who went to a four-year college straight after graduating from high school. I thought I had it all figured out! You see, I was (am) a musician. Music has always been a passion, something I was good at, and something I wanted to share with other like-minded individuals. As a first-generation college student, I knew nothing about how people who teach at the college level actually go about training for that job. So, I majored in music education, thinking that I would just work my way up the ranks! The music part of that was wonderful...I was in my element, sharing music with other people who loved music as much as I did. However, I didn't account for the possibility of disliking the education part of that. I took one pedagogy class and knew it wasn't for me. The result of that discovery, coupled with some mental and physical health problems was disastrous. I wound up flunking out and was sent back home.

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I spent a few semesters floundering about, trying to find something that made me feel as alive as music. I even took time off of college to work full-time in a vocational school cafeteria, realizing quickly that if I wanted something more in my life, a college degree was going to help me get there. I took time to rebuild my mental health and enrolled in night classes at the local community college. It was there that I discovered a new-found passion: philosophy. More importantly, I took my inspiration from the instructor teaching that class. He was so on fire about teaching that I realized that is what my future was. I thought to myself, one night in class: "That's it! That is what I want to do. I want to be like him!" So I did everything in my power to get myself back on the right track to ensure I would achieve that goal.

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I pulled up my grades from a 0.81 GPA that sent me into academic dismissal to a 3. 27 GPA, just short of graduating with honors. I did, however, receive a departmental award for being an outstanding senior. I applied to and received a graduate assistantship at the University of Cincinnati to pursue my PhD in philosophy. Life had other plans for me and after nine months in the program, I put my education on hold to begin a family. Almost 25 years later, I returned to graduate school to receive my Master's degree in English from Northern Kentucky University.

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So I've been it all: confused, struggling student straight out of high school; part-time student attending night classes at community college; working student attending full-time; and older, returning student, working and raising a family while also attending graduate school full-time. If anyone knows that it's possible to overcome obstacles and to succeed, it's me! So, I'm here to share my tips and help you discover your true potential.

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