Cleavon Smith
English Composition Teacher
Berkeley City College
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
First I read a lot and wrote on the side, but put more emphasis on the sports I played.
Went to the Naval Academy, played footbal, and planned on a career in the Navy.
Took a creative writing course at USNA and received very discouraging feedback from the professor.
Served on an aircraft carrier in Japan and introduced to Japanese authors who inspired me to write.
Took a creative writing course and was further inspired by the professor and my classmates.
Went to school for my MFA in creative writing and finally got the courage to call myself a writer.
Taught a community college class and fell in love with the experience.
Found a way to balance my love of teaching with my love of reading and writing.
Education
High School
Bachelor
United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
Career
English Composition Teacher
I teach English Composition courses and write prose and plays.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Writing
Being Creative
Day to Day
There are no typical work days and that's what I love about my work. I typically teach between two and three classes a week with office hours each day I teach and about two hours of writing at the end of each day. But my schedule bounces around depending on the needs of students outside of class and other non-teaching duties.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Read the books you love to read without disregarding the books you're required to read. Both will make a better writer of you!
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"I should stay in the navy and take advantage of the opportunity I had as an officer. Then when I got out of the navy, people said I should stay in my corporate job because there was no guarantee that I could earn a living as a writer. Then when I began teaching in community colleges, people said I should get my PhD to be a professor at a university because I'd never get a full-time position at a community college. Whew! The things people said..."
