Mentoring Identity with Appalachia

As educators teaching in the Appalachian region, we are not always offered courses that are specific to our region; however, classroom readings, writing assignments, and projects can be easily adapted to be more inclusive of regional material. The traditional classroom provides these educators with a forum to introduce students to Appalachian topics through discussions based on the literature from Appalachian writers and the cultural elements of the region. This panel’s objectives include the following: 1) To show how mentoring students leads to continued student involvement and future activism for the region’s promotion. 2) To share teaching ideas, writing assignments, and classroom materials so that attendees may adapt their current courses. Those who attend the panel will hear testimonies of two current University teachers as well as at least one testimony of a student on how the inclusion of these Appalachian themed materials has made a difference in the way they teach and learn