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=Louis "Bud" Kanyo= Assistant Professor of English & Humanities [|Mid Michigan Community College] email: louis.bud.kanyo@gmail.com Office Phone: (989) 386-6622 ext. 295

In my experiences, I've come across many people who carry a grudge into the classroom, often because they've learned that habit from their experiences and those around them. I don't hold grudges (hmm... at least not for long) and enjoy our journey very much. I'm blunt, honest, and have high expectations of people. I expect us all to succeed, but won’t define or limit what that may mean for you. However, I've found that if we are willing to pay what we owe, then we will find a way through this madhouse of education. Learning, much like life, may be complex but it's not impossible.

I am not perfect and I do not know everything. I will make typos in my e-mails, share stupid jokes that fall flat, and answer many questions with, “I don’t know.” I am human (until proven otherwise). If you expect teachers to know it all and be perfect, you will want to find someone else to explore with on your journey into learning. I will annoy people and maybe - just maybe - they may sometimes annoy me. It's likely not on purpose; I get that. Maybe that's one of the interesting aspects of education. Sadly, some instructors seem to forget to be honest and put that out front sometimes. If you prefer to have someone tell you what to do step-by-painfully-oppressive-step so you can learn "their one right way", that's not me. I don't teach like that because I don't learn like that.

I have wanted to be a teacher for much of my life. I have taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels, enjoying (and some days dreading) each for their own reasons. I am an alumni of Saginaw Valley State University (my BA), and Central Michigan University (my MA), and a current doctoral candidate at Michigan State University (my PhD). I have four children (Hannah 10, Madison 8, Aubrey 6, and Logan 5) and learn more from them about teaching and learning than I have ever learned in a classroom that was trying to make me a //highly qualified but standardized// teacher. In my free time, I read, write, travel (25 of the 50 states), watch movies, stumble around our garden, draw, and play video games. I love comics, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, heroic types in capes and tights who leap tall buildings and all that jazz. I race my children at Mario Kart and let my daughters practice painting my nails. You may have nailed it perfectly if you realize by now that I'm a bit of a dork. If you need even more ammo: I eat too much, exercise and sleep too little, get cranky, make mistakes, and sometimes - gasp - in the middle of the night ... I drink milk straight from the carton. I have failures. It's fair to expect me to give my best but don't expect perfection. I’ll pay you the same courtesy. I simply have not found a way to be what everyone wants me to be in the 24 hours a day that are available. Still, all things considered, I'm comfortably with how I've played the hand I was dealt.

A few of my favorites... Favorite Food: Well, I make a pretty mean chili. Favorite Drink: Unsweetened Ice Tea... or maybe coffee... Favorite Beer: Killian's Red Favorite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory (... old episodes), American Restoration, The Colbert Report Favorite Musician: Jack White, Pearl Jam, Mumford & Sons, Favorite Movie: Inception, Rango Favorite Dessert: There is something about a warm oatmeal cookie that seems spiritual. Favorite Travel Destination: New Orleans Favorite Video Game: World of Warcraft, Super Mario Bros, Favorite Comic Book: Superman, Wolverine, Indestructible Hulk Favorite Superhero: Wolverine (... Hulk is close behind) Favorite Song: 7 Nation Army Favorite Animal: Polar Bear Favorite Sport: Wrestling (Singlets and headgear, not tables, chairs, and elbows off the top rope.) Favorite Fruit: Apple Favorite Vegetable: Asparagus (although a nice piece of corn on the cob is wonderful)... Favorite Book: Any book in the Robert Jordan "The Wheel of Time" series. Favorite Musical Instrument: Bagpipes, Drums, Acoustic Guitar