My interest in teaching English
began when I landed a part time English tutoring job at Contra
Costa College in San Pablo, California. At the time, I was an
undeclared business major, but my love for literature blossomed
soon after I experienced my first college-level literature courses. In these classes, I was transported to worlds I had never known and discovered that I not only enjoyed reading, interpreting, and discussing literature, but that I was also actually good at
writing about it.
Not long after this "epiphany" of sorts, I
declared myself an English/literature major and transferred to U. C. Berkeley, eventuallyearning a B.A. in English, an M.A.T. in Education/English, and a high school English
teaching credential. I began teaching full-time at Skyline
College in the Spring of 1991
after serving as an adjunct instructor at several other Bay Area community colleges (San Jose City, Ohlone, and Diablo Valley).
I teach a range of courses from developmental writing and transfer-level
composition to literature and tutor training. In my classes, I rely heavily on discussions and collaboration to
foster critical thinking and to help students discover and
develop their own "voices" and ideas.
Left: Shipyard at Tarqui Beach (Manta, Ecuador)
Some of my favorite writers include Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, Milan Kundera,William Shakespeare, Li-Young Lee,and Toni Morrison. Some of my ongoing professional interests include reading Asian American
literature and researching special issues concerning Asian American culture. As far as literary themes and issues go, I don't like to box myself in, but I find myself often honing in on socio-cultural as well as gender-related themes.
Outside of teaching, you'll often
find me spending time in the East Bay with my family (along with my dog, Stella), watching movies and going to the theatre (dramatic and musical), rooting for my
favorite East Bay teams, the Oakland A's, Raiders, and Cal Bears, or working on house projects. Other interests include traveling to almost anywhere, hanging out
in the tropical sun, listening to music
(traditional
jazz, classic rock, Latin jazz, R
& B/soul,oldies, classical), reading, going for rides in my old Miata, day dreaming, and eating
different types of foods at different types of places. I'm also involved in social justice and activism, faculty advocacy, and coordinating professional developmen programs for Skyline College faculty and stafft. Next time you see me, be sure to ask me what I did over the break, how the Oakland A's are doing, and/or whattype of food I last ate!
Left: Basilica del Voto Nacional Steeple and
View of Old Town (Quito, Ecuador)
Below: With Toucan Bob (La Paz, Costa Rica) 
Nina L. Floro - 
