311 Ingalls Hall

Sarah Durst received her PhD in curriculum and instruction and writing studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her dissertation traced the writing practices of both scientists and teachers. Durst argued for a lifeworld perspective of writing, that literate practice is made up of people’s lived experiences beyond just the written word and that writing and writing research should explore how people’s writing practices expand and coalesce across space and time.

 

Before finishing her degree, Durst was a teacher collaborator at the Center for Education in Small Urban Communities at the U of I. Sarah worked with curriculum and writing teachers across multiple school districts, developing writing coursework and helping teachers enact strong writing pedagogy in middle and high school classrooms. Durst was also an instructional coach at Edison Middle School, teaching middle and high school English literature and writing.

 

Durst is also a published author in the literary journal Written Communication and is a columnist and creative writer for Okra magazine. When not writing, you can find her somewhere in the mountains.