Determined to teach
At Amherst, Fisch double majored in English and math, spending much of her time in the English department practicing creative writing.
When Fisch graduated from the College she was already determined to become an English professor and prepared to begin her graduate studies immediately. In retrospect Fisch feels that a respite between undergraduate and graduate school may have been beneficial, but at the time she was impatient to begin her career as a university professor.
In pursuit of that goal, she spent six years in graduate school at Rutgers University. She calls Rutgers a "bizarre and artificial environment" that was more akin to her competitive and superficial suburban high school than to her companionable, scholarly college. Yet, she persevered and attained a doctorate in English literature with a specialty in 19th-century Victorian literature. Soon after completing her formal studies, she was given a teaching position at New Jersey City University where she continues as both a professor of English and professor of education.
Fisch's decision to become a teacher has proven to be very fulfilling. The English language has always enchanted her just as it enchants her son now. Her youthful dreams did not manifest themselves in infinitely long elementary school papers as they do her son. Instead, she chose to title her self-made middle school note-pad: "Audrey Fisch: Free-Lance Writer."
New Jersey City University
At New Jersey City University, Fisch's favorite class to teach is English composition. "Teaching someone to write is fascinating and rewarding," she said. She also enjoys teaching Victorian and Romantic Survey-her specialty-as well as secondary school English methods for prospective high school English teachers.
Reaching out
The University's educational degree program has proven to be a very rewarding undertaking for Fisch. The program has truly come to demonstrate one way in which education can have a resounding impact upon the world. Most students that enroll in the education program are members of urban working-class families. For them, a teaching career is a clear way into the middle class. Yet, experience has taught Fisch and her colleagues that even further–reaching effects can be attained.
In general, these students come to the University from poorly-funded urban high schools. Upon receiving their educational degrees, many return to these high schools as teachers. This system has obvious merits. After all, these teachers are the ones that would be most likely to understand the students-and to commit to these urban schools-whereas teachers from other areas frequently work for quick stints in urban high schools and leave.
Thus, the current situation of Fisch's graduates does present one recurrent problem-they lack the experience with other sorts of high schools that may be better in terms of breadth and depth of educational material, styles and organization. Hence, Fisch and her colleagues understood the essential question that needed to be asked as, "Where might the ideas for improvement of urban high schools come from if the teachers at these schools have no experience with a better model?"
For this reason they have added to their degree program an intensive field study project at an exemplary accelerated urban middle school. Each program matriculate is required to study the organization of the middle school as well as sit-in on classes where, in Fisch's experience, they are frequently amazed by the teaching styles as well as depth of information that the students are given. With these experiences, the program's graduates can more readily affect changes in their future places of work.
Town council
Outside of the University, the central project on which Fisch is currently focused is the upcoming town council election in her suburban New Jersey community-an election in which her name will appear on the ballot. "Ever since the last presidential election, I've felt a need to get involved," Fisch said. At the moment the council is dominated by male councilmen. From what Fisch gathers, the council consists mostly of male lawyers that frequently concern themselves with issues such as entitlement.
Fisch, who has always had a strong sense of her femininity and values the importance of projecting herself as a woman, believes that she can provide a novel and effective female perspective within the council.
To respect oneself and present oneself as a woman in a masculine world is a value that Fisch has honored her entire life. For example, was there a reader of this biography who wondered exactly why Fisch decided to major in math? At that time her advisor from the English department, Professor David Sofield, most certainly did. Fisch remembers, "He could never figure out why I wanted to major in math because my grades were always so low." But she obviously had her motives. First, she felt that math was an objective subject and, therefore, would be her alternative to the more subjective English department. She also liked math because it was a challenge. She sincerely admired Professor of Mathematics Daniel Velleman who, even though he was not her professor at that time, spent hours with Fisch, reviewing mathematical concepts that she had not learned in high school. But perhaps the greatest attraction was that in the 80s, very few women enrolled in math courses, let alone majored–she was one of three female math majors in her class. Hence, for Fisch, the math major became a form of personal empowerment. She was a pioneering female presence in the math department. She also tried to maximize her presence–while the other females in her math classes (and even the males) spoke infrequently, Fisch made it a point to vocalize every concern in class or outside of class if necessary, meeting individually with her professors.
Advice to students
The advice that Fisch would give current Amherst students is directed more toward the women of the College. Fisch believes that as a woman it is essential to establish a career of one's own before marriage and children. "Choose a job that makes you happy but that allows you the type of lifestyle that you want," she said. She also believes that to have the two members of a marital relationship be independent of each other is a "tremendous gift of feminism," allowing both partners to have a separate self outside of the familial sphere. And yet that self can be integrated in as well. Fisch is grateful for the ability to share her separate identity of English professor with her young son. Her professional life adds more dimensions on top of that of "mother." Fisch retains all facets of her identity: professor, wife, mother, town council person candidate, writer and, last but not least, Amherst English and mathematics major alumna.