Well here is my answer to your assignment John!
Being a college psychology professor myself, this is a great blog to do! I think it is the wonderfully inspiring teachers I had which made me love learning & probably got me into teaching. I've been fairly lucky & had quite a few! I'll list them & put a bit under each:
Kindergarten: Mrs. Devries
She was so great! She had one of those permanent smiles & laughs! You know this women still remembers "everything about me" and it has been what like 35 yrs! Yep! She is like another mother! Every since time she sees me with my mother she goes into the story of me with the little girls kitchen set (stove, frig, sink...remember those!) and I'm playing "Betty Homemaker" and telling everyone what to do! HA! Funny since I've yet to get married, don't you think! Now the telling everyone what to do..hmmm! :-) Well she also had 3 more after me to remember so... I still can sing for you "Raindrops Keep Failing on My Head" because we did that for our recital at the end of the year. Imagine, raincoats, boots & umbrellas twirling! :-) The song was from the movie Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid which was out about that time. Robert Redford & Paul Newman! I also remember doing those silhouettes of our heads with the overhead & tracing our head. Cool!
Grammar School: Mrs. Cronin (oh & Mrs. Sioroky)
Well I have to give Mrs. Cronin some credit! You see I went to Catholic Grammar school & quite frankly I didn't care for any of my teachers but Mrs. Cronin I have to give a bit credit because she "put up with me!" Ha! Let me explain! There is only really one event I remember from her class. Lets see, this really starts in 3rd grade. I had a nun...Sister Sarah I think...well I don't remember this but my mom tells me. Apparently Sister Sarah told me my handwriting was bad. Well it didn't have the cute curely q's like that border they put above the chalkboard! UGH! I was trying to imitate my dad and will it tell you something about his handwriting if I tell you he writes prescriptions! Ha! Actually, it is nice if you understand his style! I love it! Mom says I would not go out & play, just stayed in allday & practiced my handwriting because I was sooo upset. I had Mrs. Cronin for 6th grade I believe...you know we started to change teachers for subject in 4th grade so I'm not quite sure but it would be 4th-6th. She had me come to the desk to get my paper & said the same thing to me! Well this time I didn't take it! I said quite matter of factly "No, its not!" It was one of those tv show moments like maybe Malcom in the Middle...all the kids were shocked & looked up & made an audible gasp leaving their mouths open. Mrs. Cronin cocked her head back & looking at me & said, "What did you say?" You can imagine how I'm sure! I repeated myself with just as much confidence. She said, "Yes...it...is!" I said, "No...it...isn't!" She said, "I'm going to call your parents!" I said, "Go right ahead, you can't read my father's handwriting anyway!" Again, a gasp from the students! She said, "You need a drink of water!" I said, "No I don't!" We went back & forth on this as well a few times & then finally she must have been quite a bit louder & I did go for a drink of water but then went right back to her desk to continue the conversation! Ha! She didn't didn't even look at me & said, "Go back to your desk." When I got home I immediately told my mother! She said, "Well let her call! I'll give her a piece of my mind!" You wonder where I might get this from!?! Ha! My folks probably told me I was fine & so I felt confident. It is sooo funny now considering I type everything! Ha! I even teach & don't write on the board! How one can't predict the future. I definitely try to remember this with my students & even use it as an example! So I'll give her some credit for putting up with me & allowing me to be the confident person I was obviously becoming..though I'm not sure now! Ha!
Oh you know I need to also give a bit of credit to Mrs. Siorky because during Desert Storm I had someone I loved dearly in the military & one particular day when I received a very down letter from him I wanted to go to church. The church was locked! I couldn't believe it. I strolled into the school & this grey haired women was in the hallway. She was not facing me. I asked why the church was locked in the middle of the afternoon. She turned around, saw me & opened her arms & said my name! Now I have not seen her in 21 yrs! Man! So I'll give her some credit for that!
High School: Mr. Steinhart & Mr. Mellon
Mr. Steinhart was AWESOME! I think he taught composition. He had such a vibrant personality & he always said, "God Loves You & So Do I" when you tried to answer a question & were not quite right! Of course these were the days when you could mention God in a public H.S. ! Ha! I remember a day I actually was not in class! Ha! Well we had to come back from spring break & write in class about the cultural experience we did over break. I had gone to the Lithuanian Museum and I write about that a bit in my paper but I mainly wrote about how this one little burger place around the corner from where my mom grew up & I lived for the first 2 years of my life had not changed. The culture was still the same when you walked in...Formica bar with swivel stools, the Coke cooler where the top slide to the side, old coke bottles (yes they came in glass bottles! ) etc. Well I had to leave early to go to the orthodontist and so I wrote it real fast & didn't think I did very well. The next day I didn't go to class because my mouth was killing me! I think my uncle liked to torture us! Well I got back & found out he read my paper to the class! I'm kinda glad I wasn't there. I got an A on my paper & I felt so great!
Now Mr. Mellon was my Literature teacher & I still remember watching Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" in class! His was the only class I got As every quarter! Yes, this was an amazing feat for me. I was not good in school until the last two years of college. Amazing I didn't end up in Literature.
College: Dr. Allen, Dr. Axley, Dr. Morey, Drs Hoyenga, Dr. Romano
God I don't know where to stop with College. I loved my 4 years of College! I was a pretty serious student then! I needed to be...I struggled in High School & didn't want to flunk out of college. Dr. Allen was the man who blew me away with Psychology so he is the one that created the MONSTER! :-) I loved his classes & met one of my best friends in his class. He was sooo funny! He could tell by my eyes that I was thinking of all kinds of real-life examples & questions & he would just shake his head in affirmative which meant "see you after class in my office!" Ha! Dr. Allen should get extra points for putting up with me too! Ha! You know I still remember my friend Colleen & I going up to him & askingif I could give my 3 points over my A to her so she could get an A! Man the nerve we had! I'm just a generous person! Ha!
Ok, Dr. Axley...you know I just went to his class to look at the man! Ha! Yum! Sorry but the man was hot! He looked like Alan Jackson sorta, TALL, big blonde locks & a wonderful mustache! I love mustaches & beards! Ok, well he was a great prof! And I did learn a great deal about Organizational Development! I loved it in fact. Took him for the Advanced course for Grad work even. I'm so glad he offered that too! HA!
Dr. Morey unfortunately has passed away & it saddens me that I was not able to tell him that she was soooo right! Ha! Teachers love that moment - when their students will admit they are right! Ha! When I was back working on my Masters for a term she asked what I was doing back. I joked, "Oh I'll always take classes I love learning." She told me to become a teacher that you learn more as a teacher than you ever do as a student. I still remember rollng my eyes & thinking she was a bit looney! She was soooo right! I know she knows now though! I had Organizational Behavior with her! She is the one would taught me Management by Objective & we use Objectives/Outcomes with students now so it was great!
Drs. Kaye & Kermit Hoyenga...man I had them for some many classes I can't count! I missed a double major in Psychology by like 2 hours. I didn't realize it or I would have made sure I got it. Now it doesn't matter...so many classes. They would go to the athletic events all dressed up in purple & gold & just were awesome instructors!
Dr. Romano...man we were his first class! Well we certainly broke him in! Ha! Genetics...I love Genetics! Especially, hiking across campus in the middle of the night to separate my fruit flies so they didn't interbreed! Ha! You'd be half asleep, but then so were your fruit flies so you could count them. Until you got a bit more asleep & they started to wake up & fly! Ha! Poor Dr. Romano...he actually couldn't wait to get rid of his "3 Musketeers" (as he called us!) I bet! Us 3 girls sitting in the front row heckling him all the time! HA! He was such a great sport about it too!
Now to THE BEST! :-)
Graduate School: Working on Masters
* Well I got to take Dr. Axley & the Hoyengas again!
Graduate School: Working on PhD.
Dr. Larry Anderson...man I wish you could all take him! He is a FABULOUS Prof! I remember the first day...we all wanted to drop! He wouldn't let you! Ha! He didn't really have a text or an agenda, well that he gave you! He didn't have exams...noooo, we wrote a document that was in the White House before we were even done with it! HA! No, I'm not kidding! I'm proud to say I co-wrote & co-edited the Guidebook for Technology Planning v. 2. Dr. Anderson was such an inspiring "southern gentleman!" He is still my source of inspiration. And you know...that man can just see the first move in a facial muscle of mine that is starting to show doubt in myself! I don't know how he does it. I remember this one time too when all of us students were in the conference room going to do a teleconference with a "big wig" in technology. We looked over the rubric & I had some problems with the last cell "Ideal Integration" was 100% reliance on computer technology. I had horrors of "Hal" from 2001 if you are old enough to remember that. I voiced my "opinion" and all my classmates were like cats with their nails out! I was like man! Well Dr. Anderson got on the phone & we were asked if we had any questions. I was not about to ask after what just happened. Well, Dr. Anderson would have none of that! He said, "We have a young lady here by the name of...& asked for me. Why would he do this to me I thought! I had been embarrassed & felt bad enough. Well this "tech God" chuckled & said, "Ya, I've had the most complaints about that & I am in the process of changing it. I do see the point & agree!" I was like...OH! I didn't know if I should raise my head up even. I didn't even look at my classmates & no way was I going to smile or say anything! Dr. Anderson did that purposely & it is served me sooo very well. Lesson Learned...you may be the only one that thinks a certain way but you still may be RIGHT! :-) Dr. Anderson led us down a path we had no idea we were on but we learned along the way and that journey down that path was amazing!
Well that is all I can think of right now! Ha! I think I probably have enough though already! No wonder I'm in education myself now. :-)
Second Favorite Subject:
Well, you mean other than looking at the hot guys? Ha! Or my hot profs? Well I minored in Management so that probably would be my second favorite.
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