It is not every day that you come across a professor who participates in his own assignments. Professor Steve Thompson does just that. For each of the papers his students are assigned, Thompson writes a sample paper to let the class know how to begin and what the expectations are. Thompson’s literature class could be described as a mix of Shakespeare, The Hunger Games, and Groundhog Day.
There are two books that are always included in what he carries to class with him each day. The first is a fifty-year-old red hard-covered tome of The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien with runes around the outside cover in gold leaf. Thompson is an ardent fan of the Lord of The Ring series.
The other very special book that is a prized possession of Thompson’s is The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. This book was given to Thompson by his literature professor when he attended the University of Miami in the late eighties. This professor told the then aspiring Professor Thompson that this book would be very important to him one day. Thompson has come full circle with this work in that he uses it in his own classroom.
“I appreciate that DSC students have a practical perspective relating to course work and fields of study,” Thompson said. “This focus impacts instruction in that it forces both instructors and students to constantly question why.”
Thompson has traveled extensively since his college days in Miami. These travels have taken him to Jamaica, Haiti, England, and Ireland.
Having many interests outside of the classroom, Thompson is fascinated by Artificial Intelligence and is a gentleman farmer. He raises beef cattle and chickens and grows many different vegetables. The trees on his property in North DeLand are citrus and olives, and he even bottles his own olive oil.
A student of Thompson’s LIT 2000 (literature) class, Daniel Romero, said that he “enjoys the excitement that Thompson brings to class each week.”
Professor Thompson in his office. Photo credit: Abigail Romeo
Jenn Barth
Contributor