Faculty Spotlight: Peggy Ruth Geren

Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, and Peggy Ruth Geren all have one thing in common. At one time, they were all members of Motley Crue.

But Dr. Geren's Motley Crew was a girl band that she and a few college friends started long before the famed Motley Crue. The all-girl band was organized during the folk music era. As well as singing, she played an instrument in the band. "I played the harmonica - badly," she says.

Dr. Geren's love of music didn't begin or end with Motley Crew. She sang in the church choir, then in her school's choir, and is now in her third year in the ASU choir.

Singing has become one of her most favorite things to do. She says, adding, "Dr. Hobbins is a wonderful teacher, and I have learned so much."

She also enjoys working as a docent at the Morris Museum of Art. Dr. Geren has been giving children's tours geared toward the Georgia curriculum objectives for the past 11 years.

She recalls an art exhibit by an abstract style painter. His paintings were of old tenant houses that were dilapidated with the doors and windows painted black. A middle school student became fascinated by the black doorway. "She said that dark, black doorway reminded her of death. It made me see that some of the children were really connecting with the art," says Dr. Geren. She also added that we may not be aware of the way that art enriches the lives of children.

Dr. Geren's interest in teaching did not come as naturally as her interest in music. "I never wanted to be a teacher. As an undergraduate student, I was an English and history major," she says. The spark for teaching came after she began to participate in the National Teacher Corps, a two-year program tailored to increase the number of individuals in the teaching field and for those who wanted to teach in inner city and rural areas. After completing the program, she taught in Atlanta and at Open Door Kindergarten in Augusta for about two years.

"Teacher Corps also raised the question as to why people learn and how they learn. This subject matter engrossed me, so I wanted to get more involved in it," says Dr. Geren.

Dr. Geren's research interest is in moral development, focusing on how to help children to become good citizens. She has recently written an article entitled Ideas, Ideology, and a New Species of Trouble .

She teaches the foundations of education, which includes the history and philosophy of education and learning theories. Dr. Geren explains that the foundation of education is the body of knowledge that spans across the discipline s in order to understand the concepts of education.

Name: Peggy Ruth Geren

Position: Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Special Education

How long at ASU: 11 years

Family: Daughter, Natalie

What do you like most about ASU: "I like the collegiality and the conversations with colleagues about various subject matters. It's great to be around people who can answer any questions that you might have."  

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