Pamela Fox, Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct Faculty English Department, CSU Bakersfield; Adjunct Faculty Academic Development Department, Bakersfield College; Adjunct Faculty English Department, College of the Canyons; Adjunct Faculty Psychology Department, LA Valley College
pfox2@csub.edu
pamela.fox@bakersfieldcollege.edu
pamela.fox@canyons.edu
pfox2@csub.edu
pamela.fox@bakersfieldcollege.edu
pamela.fox@canyons.edu
Pamela Fox
I love to teach writing and literature, and I have a strong passion for teaching and reading about history. I am a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation and of the United States, so I have dual citizenship. My specific focus in literature is Native American, but I am interested in most genres and in all eras. So, for example, I also love Shakespeare, Chaucer, Milton, Bronte, Austen, Dickens, Fitzgerald, and Brad Thor (totally modern), among countless others.
I have been teaching English, ESL, history, CBEST, and other courses since 1995. Currently, I teach at Bakersfield College and CSUB, but I have taught at private high schools and have been a private school principal. I occasionally teach at LA Valley College.
My English masters thesis is a critical analysis of Robert J. Conley's Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears--an excellent novel that I am sure you will enjoy reading. Conley has authored more than 50 works, all of which are fascinating and good reading. Another great author, one that I strongly recommend that you read some day, is Louis Owens. Thomas King, Louise Erdrich, and many other Native American authors have written wonderful novels that will enrich your understanding of American literature if you take the time to read them.
I have also completed a history masters thesis but have not submitted it for consideration. Instead, I pursued an MA in English. Nevertheless, I have completed all course requirements for an MA in history and completed the thesis. The topic of this thesis is the Cherokee education system, which established the first secondary schools west of the Mississippi. These schools were funded solely by the Cherokee Nation. The female academy was my particular focus.
I am the mother of eight grown children, the youngest of whom is attending UCSB to earn a degree in English literature (like mother, like daughter?...maybe). Twp daughters live in Bakersfield, another in Phoenix, and my sons reside in Utah, Simi Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Texas.
I love to read, to visit/chat with friends, to travel, to hike, to bicycle, to explore fascinating nooks and crannies located in interesting places, to play the piano, to listen to music, to attend plays-concerts-movies, to knit, to socialize, and to blog on Facebook. I have many other interests, such as learning about organic gardening and fabrics. I want to learn Italian and to improve my French and Spanish. I am also working on learning Cherokee. I love going to museums and have a special affection for Native American museums of all types.
Tips to Help You Have a More Enjoyable Academic Year
1. Even if you are on the wait list, you must attend the first day of class. If you do not attend, you will be dropped to make room for other
students who are eager to get into classes. Attendance is critical for the first two weeks of class because a professor may drop you
if you have a couple of absences. Attendance is essential throughout the semester/quarter. Check your syllabus to determine the attendance policy
for each of your classes. Make appointments (including counselor, financial aid, and doctor/dentist appts) for times that you do not
have classes. Appointments, babysitting issues, car troubles, and other daily matters are not excused absences. Save your absences for
when you are ill or when you have a major emergency.
2. Be on time. Allow at least one hour to find a parking spot and to locate your class. Many professors lock their classroom doors 5-10
minutes after class begins.
3. If you are on the wait list, please stand in the back or on the side of the room, leaving the seats for the students who are already enrolled
in the class. Professors have different policies, but this one is quite common.
4. If you are going to be absent or late, email your professor before class begins.
5. Food and drinks, except for bottled water, are not allowed in classrooms and in most buildings. Signs are posted everywhere. Toss your
drinks in the trash before entering buildings. Put your food away. If you bring your lunch/dinner, you may eat it anywhere outside of the buildings.
6. Do NOT park in STAFF parking areas. You will get an expensive ticket.
7.Do not "crash" classes, hoping to be added to the wait list. You must go through the proper enrollment procedures to get on any type of class list.
8. Bring paper, pens, pencils, and other essential school materials to class on the first day and every day.
9. Purchase all textbooks and required materials during the first or second week of school. Pay attention to your professors' deadlines.
Not having received your financial aid yet is NOT an excuse. Check out the availability of short term textbook loans through financial aid.
10. Obtain contact information for several classmates. You should contact these people to obtain information about homework and classwork
if you are absent.
11. Keep in mind that a course syllabus is tentative, which means that professors may change, add, or delete assignments as necessary. So, if
you "work ahead," you may complete work that ends up not being assigned. Record all assignment changes on your syllabus.
12. Keep materials for each class organized in separate binders, folders, or behind different tabs in your binder.
13. Turn in all assignments on or before deadlines. Most professors do not accept late work. Do not expect to be able to complete past
due assignments at the end of the semester/quarter to "get a passing grade."
14. Keep your returned assignments until the semester/quarter has ended. You may want to create a folder for each class.
15. Check your campus email daily for class and administrative updates.
16. If you are failing a class, you may want to drop it before or by the final drop deadline. Bringing up a failing grade to a passing grade after that
deadline is challenging.
17. Office hours are the times you can meet with your professors privately in their offices. I strongly encourage you to visit me at my office, particularly
if you need to discuss exigent circumstances or if you would like some one-on-one help with a concept. You can also come by just to chat!
18.Put your cell phones on silent or turn them off before entering the classroom. Put them away (out of your sight) and do not check them for calls, texts, or messages. Violation of this policy has consequences. Depending on the professor, the consequences may include the loss of participation points or a referral to the dean. You are unable to participate in class when you are focused on your cell phones. In addition, this behavior is rude and distracting.
19. Leave your iPods at home, in your vehicles, or in your backpacks. Do NOT use them in classrooms.
20. Be prepared to participate in class discussions and activities and to ask questions. Please be quiet when you are in hallways or standing outside of
classroom doors. Remember---classes are in session!
If you want to meet with me, send me an email or talk to me before or after class. I do not have a contact phone number.
You may contact me at pamela.fox@bakersfieldcollege.edu, pfox2@csub.edu, or at rcateach@aol.com
I have been teaching English, ESL, history, CBEST, and other courses since 1995. Currently, I teach at Bakersfield College and CSUB, but I have taught at private high schools and have been a private school principal. I occasionally teach at LA Valley College.
My English masters thesis is a critical analysis of Robert J. Conley's Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears--an excellent novel that I am sure you will enjoy reading. Conley has authored more than 50 works, all of which are fascinating and good reading. Another great author, one that I strongly recommend that you read some day, is Louis Owens. Thomas King, Louise Erdrich, and many other Native American authors have written wonderful novels that will enrich your understanding of American literature if you take the time to read them.
I have also completed a history masters thesis but have not submitted it for consideration. Instead, I pursued an MA in English. Nevertheless, I have completed all course requirements for an MA in history and completed the thesis. The topic of this thesis is the Cherokee education system, which established the first secondary schools west of the Mississippi. These schools were funded solely by the Cherokee Nation. The female academy was my particular focus.
I am the mother of eight grown children, the youngest of whom is attending UCSB to earn a degree in English literature (like mother, like daughter?...maybe). Twp daughters live in Bakersfield, another in Phoenix, and my sons reside in Utah, Simi Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Texas.
I love to read, to visit/chat with friends, to travel, to hike, to bicycle, to explore fascinating nooks and crannies located in interesting places, to play the piano, to listen to music, to attend plays-concerts-movies, to knit, to socialize, and to blog on Facebook. I have many other interests, such as learning about organic gardening and fabrics. I want to learn Italian and to improve my French and Spanish. I am also working on learning Cherokee. I love going to museums and have a special affection for Native American museums of all types.
Tips to Help You Have a More Enjoyable Academic Year
1. Even if you are on the wait list, you must attend the first day of class. If you do not attend, you will be dropped to make room for other
students who are eager to get into classes. Attendance is critical for the first two weeks of class because a professor may drop you
if you have a couple of absences. Attendance is essential throughout the semester/quarter. Check your syllabus to determine the attendance policy
for each of your classes. Make appointments (including counselor, financial aid, and doctor/dentist appts) for times that you do not
have classes. Appointments, babysitting issues, car troubles, and other daily matters are not excused absences. Save your absences for
when you are ill or when you have a major emergency.
2. Be on time. Allow at least one hour to find a parking spot and to locate your class. Many professors lock their classroom doors 5-10
minutes after class begins.
3. If you are on the wait list, please stand in the back or on the side of the room, leaving the seats for the students who are already enrolled
in the class. Professors have different policies, but this one is quite common.
4. If you are going to be absent or late, email your professor before class begins.
5. Food and drinks, except for bottled water, are not allowed in classrooms and in most buildings. Signs are posted everywhere. Toss your
drinks in the trash before entering buildings. Put your food away. If you bring your lunch/dinner, you may eat it anywhere outside of the buildings.
6. Do NOT park in STAFF parking areas. You will get an expensive ticket.
7.Do not "crash" classes, hoping to be added to the wait list. You must go through the proper enrollment procedures to get on any type of class list.
8. Bring paper, pens, pencils, and other essential school materials to class on the first day and every day.
9. Purchase all textbooks and required materials during the first or second week of school. Pay attention to your professors' deadlines.
Not having received your financial aid yet is NOT an excuse. Check out the availability of short term textbook loans through financial aid.
10. Obtain contact information for several classmates. You should contact these people to obtain information about homework and classwork
if you are absent.
11. Keep in mind that a course syllabus is tentative, which means that professors may change, add, or delete assignments as necessary. So, if
you "work ahead," you may complete work that ends up not being assigned. Record all assignment changes on your syllabus.
12. Keep materials for each class organized in separate binders, folders, or behind different tabs in your binder.
13. Turn in all assignments on or before deadlines. Most professors do not accept late work. Do not expect to be able to complete past
due assignments at the end of the semester/quarter to "get a passing grade."
14. Keep your returned assignments until the semester/quarter has ended. You may want to create a folder for each class.
15. Check your campus email daily for class and administrative updates.
16. If you are failing a class, you may want to drop it before or by the final drop deadline. Bringing up a failing grade to a passing grade after that
deadline is challenging.
17. Office hours are the times you can meet with your professors privately in their offices. I strongly encourage you to visit me at my office, particularly
if you need to discuss exigent circumstances or if you would like some one-on-one help with a concept. You can also come by just to chat!
18.Put your cell phones on silent or turn them off before entering the classroom. Put them away (out of your sight) and do not check them for calls, texts, or messages. Violation of this policy has consequences. Depending on the professor, the consequences may include the loss of participation points or a referral to the dean. You are unable to participate in class when you are focused on your cell phones. In addition, this behavior is rude and distracting.
19. Leave your iPods at home, in your vehicles, or in your backpacks. Do NOT use them in classrooms.
20. Be prepared to participate in class discussions and activities and to ask questions. Please be quiet when you are in hallways or standing outside of
classroom doors. Remember---classes are in session!
If you want to meet with me, send me an email or talk to me before or after class. I do not have a contact phone number.
You may contact me at pamela.fox@bakersfieldcollege.edu, pfox2@csub.edu, or at rcateach@aol.com
The Legend of the Cherokee Rose
"We are now about to take our leave and kind farewell to our native land, the country that the Great Spirit gave our Fathers, we are on the eve of leaving that country that gave us birth...it is with sorrow we are forced by the white man to quit the scenes of our childhood... we bid farewell to it and all we hold dear."Charles Hicks, Tsalagi (Cherokee) Vice Chief on the Trail of Tears, November 4, 1838
Legend of the Cherokee Rose (nu na hi du na tlo hi lu i)
When gold was found in Georgia, the government forgot its treaties and drove the Cherokees to Oklahoma. One fourth of them died on the journey west. When the Trail of Tears started in 1838, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The Creator/Great Spirit, looking down from heaven, decided to commemorate the brave Cherokees and so, as the blood of the braves and the tears of the maidens dropped to the ground, he turned them into stone in the shape of a Cherokee Rose. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the "Trail Where They Cried" than the Cherokee Rose The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.
The Legend of the Cherokee Rose
More than 100 years ago, the Cherokee people were driven from their home mountains when the white men discovered gold in the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia. Their journey is remembered as the Trail of Tears. Some of the people came across Marengo County in West Alabama. It seems that after they had left the mountains, they came this far south so not have to climb more mountains.
It was early summer and very hot, and most of the time the people had to walk. Tempers were short and many times the soldiers were more like animal drivers than guides for the people. The men were so frustrated with the treatment of their women and children, and the soldiers were so harsh and frustrated that bad things often happened. When two men get angry they fight and once in a while men were killed on the trip. Many people died of much hardship. Much of the time the trip was hard and sad and the women wept for losing their homes and their dignity.
The old men knew that they must do something to help the women not to lose their strength in weeping. They knew the women would have to be very strong if they were to help the children survive.
So one night after they had made camp along the Trail of Tears, the old men sitting around the dying campfire called up to the Great One in Galunati (heaven) to help the people in their trouble. They told Him that the people were suffering and feared that the little ones would not survive to rebuild the Cherokee Nation.
The Great One said, "Yes, I have seen the sorrows of the women and I can help them to keep their strength to help the children. Tell the women in the morning to look back where their tears have fallen to the ground. I will cause to grow quickly a plant. They will see a little green plant at first with a stem growing up. It will grow up and up and fall back down to touch the ground where another stem will begin to grow. I’ll make the plant grow so fast at first that by afternoon they’ll see a white rose, a beautiful blossom with five petals. In the center of the rose, I will put a pile of gold to remind them of the gold which the white man wanted when his greed drove the Cherokee from their ancestral home."
The Great One said that the green leaves will have seven leaflets, one for each of the seven clans of the Cherokee. The plant will begin to spread out all over, a very strong plant, a plant which will grow in large, strong clumps and it will take back some of the land they had lost. It will have stickers on every stem to protect it from anything that tries to move it away.
The next morning the old men told the women to look back for the sign from the Great One. The women saw the plant beginning as a tiny shoot and growing up and up until it spread out over the land. They watched as a blossom formed, so beautiful they forgot to weep and they felt beautiful and strong. By the afternoon they saw many white blossoms as far as they could see. The women began to think about their strength given them to bring up their children as the new Cherokee Nation. They knew the plant marked the path of the brutal Trail of Tears. The Cherokee women saw that the Cherokee Rose was strong enough to take back much of the land of their people.
From "Aunt Mary, Tell Me A Story" http://diannawolfe.com/sheo-rose.html
NOTE from Pam: My great-great-great-great uncle is Principal Chief, John Ross, who was compelled to lead our people over the Trail of Tears. During the journey, Chief Ross's beloved wife, my aunt Quatie, died. She gave her blanket jacket to an ill child, and in the severe cold, became ill herself. She died shortly before arriving at Indian Territory. A memorial close to the Arkansas/Oklahoma border commemorates her heroism. Another uncle, William Shorey Coodey, authored the Cherokee Constitution of 1839.
Legend of the Cherokee Rose (nu na hi du na tlo hi lu i)
When gold was found in Georgia, the government forgot its treaties and drove the Cherokees to Oklahoma. One fourth of them died on the journey west. When the Trail of Tears started in 1838, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The Creator/Great Spirit, looking down from heaven, decided to commemorate the brave Cherokees and so, as the blood of the braves and the tears of the maidens dropped to the ground, he turned them into stone in the shape of a Cherokee Rose. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the "Trail Where They Cried" than the Cherokee Rose The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.
The Legend of the Cherokee Rose
More than 100 years ago, the Cherokee people were driven from their home mountains when the white men discovered gold in the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia. Their journey is remembered as the Trail of Tears. Some of the people came across Marengo County in West Alabama. It seems that after they had left the mountains, they came this far south so not have to climb more mountains.
It was early summer and very hot, and most of the time the people had to walk. Tempers were short and many times the soldiers were more like animal drivers than guides for the people. The men were so frustrated with the treatment of their women and children, and the soldiers were so harsh and frustrated that bad things often happened. When two men get angry they fight and once in a while men were killed on the trip. Many people died of much hardship. Much of the time the trip was hard and sad and the women wept for losing their homes and their dignity.
The old men knew that they must do something to help the women not to lose their strength in weeping. They knew the women would have to be very strong if they were to help the children survive.
So one night after they had made camp along the Trail of Tears, the old men sitting around the dying campfire called up to the Great One in Galunati (heaven) to help the people in their trouble. They told Him that the people were suffering and feared that the little ones would not survive to rebuild the Cherokee Nation.
The Great One said, "Yes, I have seen the sorrows of the women and I can help them to keep their strength to help the children. Tell the women in the morning to look back where their tears have fallen to the ground. I will cause to grow quickly a plant. They will see a little green plant at first with a stem growing up. It will grow up and up and fall back down to touch the ground where another stem will begin to grow. I’ll make the plant grow so fast at first that by afternoon they’ll see a white rose, a beautiful blossom with five petals. In the center of the rose, I will put a pile of gold to remind them of the gold which the white man wanted when his greed drove the Cherokee from their ancestral home."
The Great One said that the green leaves will have seven leaflets, one for each of the seven clans of the Cherokee. The plant will begin to spread out all over, a very strong plant, a plant which will grow in large, strong clumps and it will take back some of the land they had lost. It will have stickers on every stem to protect it from anything that tries to move it away.
The next morning the old men told the women to look back for the sign from the Great One. The women saw the plant beginning as a tiny shoot and growing up and up until it spread out over the land. They watched as a blossom formed, so beautiful they forgot to weep and they felt beautiful and strong. By the afternoon they saw many white blossoms as far as they could see. The women began to think about their strength given them to bring up their children as the new Cherokee Nation. They knew the plant marked the path of the brutal Trail of Tears. The Cherokee women saw that the Cherokee Rose was strong enough to take back much of the land of their people.
From "Aunt Mary, Tell Me A Story" http://diannawolfe.com/sheo-rose.html
NOTE from Pam: My great-great-great-great uncle is Principal Chief, John Ross, who was compelled to lead our people over the Trail of Tears. During the journey, Chief Ross's beloved wife, my aunt Quatie, died. She gave her blanket jacket to an ill child, and in the severe cold, became ill herself. She died shortly before arriving at Indian Territory. A memorial close to the Arkansas/Oklahoma border commemorates her heroism. Another uncle, William Shorey Coodey, authored the Cherokee Constitution of 1839.
