Gordon fulfills dream by teaching in the West
Donna Gordon loves her job. This is evident in the way she talks about her classes and the students who attend them.
As an associate professor in community heath, Gordon gets to teach a wide array of courses to a variety of students.
Born in Illinois, Gordon has wanted to live out west in the mountains since she was a young girl. Gordon was teaching in Chicago when she finally decided it was time for a calmer life.
“I was getting de-sensitized living in the city,” she said.
So, in her late 20s, Gordon left the Midwest and headed for Utah. As she caught a glimpse of the first mountain she had ever seen, Gordon was astounded. She had to stop the car, get out and “jump up and down.”
After attending graduate school at the University of Utah and teaching in a public school in Salt Lake City, Gordon moved to Logan. She has been here for 21 years. Stress management is one of theclasses she teaches.
“It goes into your personality and who you are. Students understand why they get stressed,” Gordon said.
Students also learn relaxation techniques such as yoga and tai chi, and coping strategies like communication skills, time management, humor and art. Stress management is the only class here at Utah State University where students are occasionally invited to fall asleep, said Gordon.
Gordon also teaches consumer health, a class where students learn techniques on how to “not get ripped off.” Her other courses include proposal writing for health majors, health and wellness, and methods of movement exploration for elementary education majors.
All of the classes Gordon teaches are “incredibly informative” and “very practical,” she said. “I only teach fun classes.”
In her spare time, Gordon loves to travel. She was the chair of the dance program, as well as the director of Dance Works, a dance production company, before the dance program at USU was canceled four years ago. Members of Dance Works did a lot of traveling, and every two years were able to perform in London, Scotland, and France.
With the demise of the dance program, Gordon has kept up her ties in those countries. She returned in June from spending three weeks in Scotland holding teacher workshops and outreach programs in local schools teaching dance movement. She has also put in a proposal in China to hold the same program, and is currently waiting for the reply.
“I hope to continue to travel as long as my body holds up,” Gordon said.
Gordon said the best part of her job is her students. She feels every year the students continue to become brighter and more skilled.
“I delight in my students,” Gordon said. She loves learning and is encouraged with the challenge her students present her to learn more. Gordon hopes to continue teaching in other countries and become a better teacher.
“I am lucky because I have all of these very, very interesting classes to teach,” she said.