Joining the continuously improving faculty of Sion, a new chapter unfolds in the English Department, as Sion welcomes Erin Hamer-Beck as one of its latest editions to the staff. Dedicated to shaping the minds of young women, Hamer-Beck is extremely excited to begin her journey at Sion. Before arriving at Sion, Hamer-Beck was a Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Film classes at Rockhurst University.
According to Hamer-Beck, her love for english and passion for teaching came from her senior year english teacher Mrs. Barnes. She knew after having her as a teacher she wanted to be just like her with her enthusiasm for teaching.
“She just had this infectious passion for teaching that was always lingering in the back of my mind,” Hamer-Beck said. “I knew I wanted to do something that would make me that excited to come to work.”
Outside of the classroom, Hamer-Beck loves the world of cinema. She is currently working on a book that will be film analysis guide for girls so that they can become film theorists in such a male dominated industry.
“Girls don’t really have that much of a voice in [the industry] and I think we need more girls talking about movies like Twilight and Barbie,” Hamer-Beck said. “I think we’re in the right direction and I’m hoping my book will teach girls how to talk about movies in an academic style.”
One of the reasons Hamer-Beck was so excited about joining the Sion community was contributing to young women’s education. She was always interested in books, movies, and songs written by girls and found teaching young women very appealing.
“I’m very interested in the education of young women and I think when my daughter was first born, it was made so much more important to me to think of how she would be educated and represented in education and what type of voice she would have politically and socially and I wanted to help her find her confidence,” Hamer-Beck said.
For her future at Sion, Hamer-Beck is planning on getting involved with Deep Dives, clubs, and theater, and she is hoping to create a love for writing that will last with her students for the rest of their lives.
“I’m hoping all of my students learn how to become excellent writers when they move onto universities and colleges and ultimately I want them to just love writing,” Hamer-Beck said. “For sion I want to get to know everyone more and I would love to do some deep dives and pull in that girlhood and cinema and make a film club. I’m very excited because I feel the possibilities are endless.”
