Angela Renkoski’s children come first.

Renkoski, temporary journalism instructor, tries to give her two sons Ben, 15, and Nick, 14, as much attention as possible while balancing teaching, advising and at-home time. Renkoski is thankful for the flexibility of her job at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, which allows her to spend time with her children.

“My job allows me to mix teaching and freelance and also gives me time to be with my kids,” she said. “My main goal is getting my kids through college and through the teen-age years. This job allows them to be my main focus.”

Before coming to Iowa State in 1997, Renkoski held several positions in her 10 years at Meredith Corporation, a magazine publisher headquartered in Des Moines. Her r‚sum‚ boasts a long list of accomplishments including: copy editor for special interests publications at Meredith, first copy chief for “Traditional Home and Country Homes” magazines and features desk copy editor for the Wilmington Delaware News Journal.

Currently, in addition to teaching, she is editorial adviser for ISU’s student-run Ethos magazine.

Renkoski values the realistic experience that Ethos and other student organizations offer ISU students. She said she believes this type of experience is necessary to gain internships and jobs after graduation.

“I like Ethos because it gives people a chance for experience, and not just for journalism majors, but for people all across campus. Ethos offers real experience for students when they go out to get a job. It’s pretty realistic,” Renkoski said.

She is known to many of her students as the “Queen of Metaphors,” a tactic Renkoski uses to encourage students to express themselves more exactly.

“I encourage students to think and feel more strongly,” she said. “I try to use a lot of metaphors because I think it is important to have tangible things for what we are trying to communicate.”

Renkoski said she hopes by sparking students’ imaginations, she will help them learn to apply their experiences and instincts to their writing.

“I love working with students because they have such bright ideas. I like to watch them learn and apply that knowledge,” Renkoski said. “I encourage them to stretch their writing and thinking.”

She said journalism students should not be shy about voicing their opinions.

“Journalists get to voice their opinions. You can tell people what is on your mind in any number of subjects,” she said. “Being able to voice your opinion is the best part of being a journalist, and it’s nice for teaching, too.”

Renkoski said she feels it is important for editors to closely examine their gut instincts before making editing decisions.

“The best editors trust their instincts rather than market research,” she said.

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Angela Renkoski

Degrees: Bachelor’s of English from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1977; Master’s of English from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1978; Master’s of Journalism from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1982.

Came to ISU: Fall 1997

Courses taught at ISU: JlMC 340 (Magazine Reporting and Writing Practicum), JlMC 341 (Contemporary Magazine Publishing), JlMC 342L (Laboratory in Basic Visual Principles), JlMC 449X (Advanced Print Media Editing) and JlMC 490 (Independent Study in Communication.)

Goal: “My goal is to enjoy what I’m doing. I’m old enough that I don’t have to think about having a career — I just have one.”

Motto for life: From the movie, Bull Durham, “It’s a long season, and you just have to trust it.”

Family: Renkoski lives in Des Moines with her two sons, Ben, 15, and Nick, 14.

Favorite baseball team: St. Louis Cardinals