Matthew Collier
Name:
Matthew Collier
MSU Degrees:
BA in English, 2005
PhD in Education (Special Education), 2018
Any other degrees:
MA in Special Education, Belmont University, 2010
MEd in Teaching and Learning, Lander University, 2024
Favorite memories of being an undergraduate English major:
The breadth and depth of literature exposure across the degree. I really loved Dr. West’s African American Literature course; Invisible Man remains one of my favorite novels. I also discovered a true (and unexpected) love of 19th-century British literature from Dr. Marsh. On the technical side of things, obtaining a complete grasp on English was sometimes difficult—B’s and C’s were earned on many an essay—but it was incredibly worthwhile.
Current Position:
Associate Professor of Education (Special Education)
Organization:
Lander University
When you graduated with a degree in English from MSU, what were your plans for your future?
I did not have any plans, if I am being honest. One of the reasons that I chose an English degree, initially, was that I could not determine what I wanted to do as a profession. I spent a handful of years bouncing from communication to undeclared and eventually chose English due to my love of reading, analysis, and (eventually) writing. Once I graduated, I took about two years off school and waited tables. Eventually, I realized I wanted to go into teaching special education, and I have not looked back since!
Has your career path mostly realized those early plans, or have you discovered new plans and goals along the way?
After I figured out I wanted to go into teaching, I taught middle-school public special education for 10 years and then moved into higher education from there. I have also come to really enjoy writing and hope to break into the field of educational book-writing.
What is your current occupation, and what does your work mostly consist of?
I currently serve as an Associate Professor of Education at Lander University. Specifically, I am one-half of our entire special education department.
My work consists of teaching 4-5 classes per semester and 1-2 more over the summer. Almost all are specifically regarding special education.
I am also a board member of the South Carolina Council of Exceptional Children (I served as recording secretary from 2021 – 2024 and am now Vice President), which, although a volunteer position, remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire career.
Which skills that you learned as an English major do you use most in your job?
My writing skills are hands-down the most utilized (and useful) skills that I use the most in my job. Special Education has a strong legal component to it that requires a lot of paperwork, so it is beyond crucial to be able to write legally binding documents in a clear, concise manner (all credit to Dr. Clyde Williams for that). On the higher education teaching side of things, it is my privilege to utilize my strong writing skills to assist undergraduate and graduate students with their own English-skill development (much to their chagrin, usually). I also have designed many online courses with an aim toward increased clarity for asynchronous learners, and judging by my student evaluations in these courses, my English skills helped me accomplish this very effectively.
Beyond that, I am currently working on my first book, which will be a guide to special education for parents. I would not be in conversation with the publisher about this book at all if not for my skills developed at MSU.
Overall, though, I truly can say that in every single job I have had, my technical English skills were incredibly appreciated by my employers. In many scenarios, I became known as the “English guy” and would be used frequently to assist in writing and/or proofing all kinds of documents. Informally, even, people are still amazed with the speed and ease with which I can write, which can be kind of a neat feeling (if you are into that sort of thing).
The analytical skills I honed in various English courses at MSU have also assisted me well throughout the years. I have come to recognize that I am good at analyzing situations and proposing unique solutions to them, which, within special education, has been very helpful in determining the most effective solutions to atypical student needs.
What additional skills did you need to learn in order to do your job, and how did you learn them?
I had to learn much about pedagogy (the science of teaching) to be the most skilled teacher I could be. The various degrees I earned past my English degree helped fill in most of the blanks in this area, but also just learning from on-the-job experiences. That said, I am happy to report I am still a strong reader, so much of my post-graduate education comes from the various books I read related to special education, diversity, equity, and inclusion. To fight for equality for all, one must be knowledgeable to overcome naivete and disinformation. It turns out it is true what they say: knowledge really IS power (or as my sister sometimes says: readers are leaders)!
Are there common misconceptions about your career field, which current English majors might share, that you have learned the truth about?
It can be quite astonishing how undeveloped writing skills are not just in incoming undergraduate students, but with some public-school teachers I worked with over the years, too. It is astonishing to have people teaching English in public schools who are unable to tell the difference between “your” and “you’re”.
Additionally, there is a misconception, for sure, that teaching is an easy major or an easy field to work within. I can attest as a former public school educator, a current higher education professor, and former education student that it is NOT an easy field or major, at all. If it was, we wouldn’t be experiencing the teacher shortages we currently have!
In what ways does your career enrich your life and help you to achieve your personal as well as your professional goals?
Like I said, I remain an avid reader, and since I graduated from MSU, my ability to analyze text has allowed me to enjoy and understand what I read even more deeply.
Also, since so much work these days is completed through electronic communication, my writing abilities have allowed me to represent myself as accurately and clearly as possible. I am certain that I would not have achieved all that I have without said skills, and I really do mean that.
What advice do you have for undergraduate English majors right now who might want to follow the career path you did?
Focus on your writing abilities! For me, the analytical side of the English degree was not as hard; it was really fun to hash things out as a class and I really do miss it. The technical side of English, while not always as fun, has probably benefitted me more than the analytical side. I would advise English majors to really dig in to the grammatical and stylistic side of the language. It might not always be naturally motivating to do so, but I can assure you, it will pay tremendous dividends in the long run.
I will also close with the same advice I give my own undergraduate students today: GO TO CLASS. There are more than a few professors at MSU who I am sure remember my struggle to making it to class. Thankfully, I pushed through successfully despite my attendance, but I regret it all the same. Therefore, it bears repeating: go to class! It really is that simple.
[Updated March 2025]