Teaching the "Yes, I Can" Attitude
By Yvonne Singer
Do you know that most people, with severe physically disabilities, are not educated and employed? I chose to become educated and employed, which took a lot of hard work and motivation. Click and read Masters Thesis: ATTITUDES OF NON-DISABLED EMPLOYERS REGARDING PHYSICALLY DISABLED EMPLOYEES. It is my intention to also educate and inspire others through sharing my story. As long as we are alive, we have to hold onto hope in order to achieve impossible dreams. I tell my students, "Hard work always pays off even when the chips are down."
I have a severe case of Cerebral Palsy, which affects all of my limbs including my vocal cords. Cerebral Palsy is not a progressive disease and it is not contagious. Cerebral Palsy is brain damage. When I was born, I did not breathe for forty minutes because the umbilical cord was wrapped three times tightly around my neck. I did not receive any oxygen to my brain. This caused many brain cells, located in the Cerebellum, to die. These cells controlled motor functions such as standing, walking, feeding, writing, talking, balance, and so on. Due to not being able to breathe, the lower part of my body is spastic. This means that I have contractors in my hips, knees, and ankles. In other words, I cannot straighten out my legs and feet to stand or walk. The upper part of my body is athetoid. This means that my arms flail in all crazy directions due to having involuntary movements. Since I cannot walk, I zoom around in a wheelchair.
Before I became employed, I pounded the payment from 1994 to 2005. When the economy was good, I did not have a job. When the economy turned bad, I still did not have a job. Funny, various people kept referring me to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation / Division of Developmental Disabilities (DVR/DVD). When my non-disabled brother had difficulties finding a job, nobody referred him to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation / Division of Developmental Disabilities. The people at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Division of Developmental Disabilities have never assisted me.
Before attending Brookdale Community College, I went to my local Division of Vocational Rehabilitation plus Division of Developmental Disabilities. Numerous Division of Developmental Disabilities and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation counselors highly recommended that I should attend a sheltered workshop! I simply refused to sort nails, build bird houses, finger paint, learn numbers and the alphabet, etc. Eleven years later, I have earned my Masters in Psychology from Walden University and so many skills! I just wanted to be treated like "non-disabled" people. I did not want to utilize Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s / Division of Developmental Disabilities' services! I just wanted a "regular" job! For additional information, feel free to explore Yvonne Singer’s World.
On September 8, 2005, Dr. John Gutowski, the chairman of the Psychology Department at Middlesex Community College, responded to my e-mail regarding on-line teaching. To my amazement, he was so impressed with my credentials! Together, we both decided that I should design an on-line course of Introduction to Psychology! He mailed all the course materials to me. Then, I, with the wonderful assistance from the director of online instruction, Brian Richards, created the on-line classroom in WebCT format! Since I prepared all of the class materials before designing the on-line classroom, learning WebCT was very easy!
Being offered this opportunity is a dream come true because so many people have been saying, "You need to teach in a traditional manner before teaching on-line." for years! Also, I have been rejected from numerous schools since 2002. Since I have been fighting the good fight all of my life and accomplishing so much, I refused to give up on teaching on-line. I would like to thank Bernie Poole, my best friend and colleague, for being my touch stone. Second, I would like to thank Donna Rose, from the Monmouth Housing Alliance, for writing a brilliant recommendation letter. Third, I would like to thank John Gutowski, for giving me the chance to teach on-line!
After several months of preparing my WebCT classroom, I, brand-new adjunct, still was not sure that I would have the opportunity to teach Introduction to Psychology during the Spring of 2006 semester. As I was biting my finger and toenails, John eased my concerns about the long process.
I am sorry to learn that some institutions have a policy of not employing an instructor of Internet or online courses if that potential instructor has not taught the course in a traditional manner first. By making the accommodation for Yvonne (the accommodation that she did not have to teach in person as a prelude to developing and teaching an online course) I feel I have done a service, not only for Yvonne, but also for the students of MCC. Everyone does not start the journey of life at the same starting point. I am proud to have taken a stand and to have given Yvonne a chance to teach online. She has rewarded my confidence in her and has met my high expectations for an MCC teacher. Yvonne has proven that she can certainly teach online classes, and teach them well!
Teaching for the very first time was challenging. I quickly learned to set the classroom rules such as:
Staying in contact with the students through e-mail
It is critical to respond to all inquires. Students need constant reminders concerning what to do. Here is a sample of a class announcement.
All of you are responsible for doing your own work on time. If you read my directions and syllabus, you should not have problems navigating our WebCT classroom. In fact, one of your fellow classmates is completing the thought questions in advance. It is silly to get all
frustrated / embarrassed not knowing what to do. If you take your time, you can certainly complete your assignments and hopefully, you will pass this course. If you do not complete the assignments, you will not pass this course. If you only complete some of the assignments, your grades will be significantly lowered.
Professor Singer
Specific due dates
Who qualifies to take incompletes?
Early submissions are welcomed! Just e-mail everything to me. You have plenty of time to complete your assignments. Taking an incomplete is not acceptable unless you have a life or death emergency.
Measure students’ knowledge by administering essay instead of fill-in-the-blank tests
The student will take two essay tests (first test: chapters 1-7) and (second test: chapters 8-14). I shall e-mail the first test to you. In turn, you will email your answers back to me. You shall take the second test at Middlesex County College.
Writing a research paper
The student will write a five page (not counting title, table of contents, and reference pages) research paper in APA Style. Your table of contents should include an Introduction, Literature Review, Conclusion, and References. Topics must reflect a problem. For example, are people's, with disabilities, IQs lower than people's, without disabilities, IQs? Or, are Piaget's ideas wrong or right for today? You should understand that a journal article is not an article from The Ladies Home Journal, Time, Newsweek, or any other popular journal. Please, you must cite your sources. I will be redundant: Use APA format. Do not copy something as if you are the author. Do not copy-and-paste articles and submit them as your own. Ideas from another source must be attributed, or else it is plagiarism. (I once heard that if you attribute your sources, then that’s doing research; if you don’t, that’s plagiarism). Once a topic has been selected, the student must seek my permission. When you have completed the annotated bibliography and paper, e-mail your annotated bibliography and paper to me.
Currently, I am teaching my third semester of an on-line version of Introduction to Psychology. My responsibilities include communicating with twenty-two students through e-mail, communicating with the psychology chairman through e-mail, making class announcements on the CampusCruiser, teaching fourteen textbook chapters [Wood, S. E., Wood, E. G., & Boyd, D. (2006). Mastering the world of psychology. (2nd ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education.], presenting lessons as PowerPoint slide shows, administering and grading two examinations, assigning discussion questions and five page research papers, informing students of their progress, and submitting grades to the Registrar’s Office.
When you enter my on-line classroom, click on the following course menu items:
Here is what students are saying about my on-line course.
I loved my experience learning with you Professor. Your learning style has helped me understand the human mind and explain it to some degree and also how to present it, if I had to write about it.
It has been an honor and a privilege to have you part of my world. I wish you a life of love, joy and happiness always.
I always considered the study of human behavior interesting even before I took this class. My interest was reason for me taking this class because I wanted to learn more about the subject. Even though I like many subjects in particular math I think psychology would be a good choice to major in. However, in order for a person to study psychology he or she must be devoted to such major and need to spend quality time studying and as for now in my life that is something I am lacking off. As a result even if I like the subject I know I can’t give a 100% therefore I would not discourage others, but I know I would not be able to major in psychology.
About this class I have three words to say, it was great. I hope to come across more inspiring people like you professor. Good luck in your life and future challenges. It was awesome having you as my professor!
Geini
In conclusion, if I did not strongly advocate for my employment rights, I would not be making a difference in students’ learning experiences. As educators, we must have high expectations for our disabled students, and encourage them to reach for the stars.
I met Yvonne in a virtual manner at first, because I responded to her resume. Seeing that she finished degrees in an online venue, I presumed that Yvonne’s online experiences as a learner would have prepared her with a deeper understanding of how to structure online courses than most first time online teachers would have. I was correct, because she rewarded me with diligence, perseverance, and quality course preparation. I should also mention her flexibility. She even accommodated students who started her course late (because they had problems with a traditional teacher in a traditional classroom).
Greetings Students,
After taking the course in psychology, and actually looking forward to the next ones, I would not major in the field. The course and courses to follow have given me great insight into the human mind, which has been so helpful. There is usually a reason for people doing things the things they do in their life and when you know more about how the mind works, it makes your more insightful.
Psychology always intrigued me as an interesting study and I do love it and maybe some day I will pursue it. As of now, I am studying to be a dental hygienist which I love. I believe psychology is a very interesting study, about your mind and people behavior. I learned a lot from this book and this class, and it definitely made me think about things differently. A person is brought to life for living, but that comes with responsibility, you can live life as you want. Some people choose to take a bad turn, some succeed. You learn from your mistakes, it is sad but true, but we have to experiment and take risks. I think you can make the best of life, and if you try hard you can achieve everything! I love this quote: “Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life…” Thank you Ms. Singer!!
Dear Professor Singer,
I find psychology very intriguing, but my passion is in teaching. This class has helped me learn about so many things that I’ve heard about, and always wanted to know more. This has been a very pleasant experience. Professor Singer, you are a very encouraging person, and thank you so much for your inspiration. I wish you the best, and Merry Christmas!