Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

You did everything possible before the semester began to ensure that your class would operate smoothly, taking great care to set the opening & closing dates of threads, quizzes, & assignments. Emails are checked daily with quick responses given to worried students who can't seem to find enough time in a day to juggle work, school & any semblance of a life. Thread responses to student posts are sent to facilitate critical thinking further into the topic. Alas, things are looking pretty good as the finish line for the semester is a month away.

Suddenly, some students realize that their grades may not be near where they wanted them to be because life won out over investing in homework, chapter readings, & regular class participation. The emails turn more urgent, asking what extra credit they might be able to take on. Or perhaps they are making excuses about their undesirable performance, making the Withdraw process seem the last choice instead of taking an F.

Some students can be very inventive when it comes to winning over your heart, & squeezing out extra work on your end by giving unique excuses of why they could not take a scheduled quiz or submit a paper on time. Interesting phenomenon may have impeded the student's ability to write or test such as following a week long religious holiday, or being hit by a snowstorm. No longer do we hear "The dog ate my homework!" But we do too often hear how computers went on the blitz, how the Internet stopped working, or how a power pole fell into a house knocking out electricity for days. What to do about the excuses that create more pull from your end to open a quiz, grade late papers sent as attachment in email, or students begging to send thread responses to you after a thread closes?

Each of us have specific criteria establishing boundaries regarding late work or missing assignments. Some policies are set in stone, while other instructors have flexible guidelines relating to untimely circumstances that impede a student's productivity. Whatever your rules are, it is always good to consider that life is very unpredictable. We saw this with the events of 9/11. We are all living in very stressful times...some of us in more stressful situations than others. Students are no different. In fact, life may very well be even more difficult for them as they are working on their degrees, where we already have ours.

Sometimes it isn't so bad of an idea to give an extra hand to students who experience unexpected tragedies, or who are having a hard time adjusting being back in school after being out for so long. A little extra encouragement, amnesty for late work, or just an email telling a student you care about their success can do wonders for boosting morale. In tough times, it is important that we stick together, for the strong can encourage the weaker links to toughen up their responsibilities. Excuses can then convert to reasons why success is a greater goal than mediocre attempts at higher academia...

Maintaining a Consistent Presence

Taxes, prom, warmer days, looming graduations, family obligations & personal responsibilities are all waiting in the wings to take a bite out of your already limited time. In this era, though most of us are not manually laboring from sun up to sun down, we seem to have less time in the day to tend to the duties our lives are faced with than our grandparents did fifty years ago. We live in a capitalistic society that makes demands that must be addressed daily, & those demands can make our lives complex & robotic. Yes, we have wonderful inventions that simplify our lives such as automobiles, electric heat, running water & indoor toilets. No more beating clothes on rocks or hauling water for a monthly bath. Inventions were supposed to help humans gain more time for leisure. Though this intention was successful, what would be leisure time turned into more time to devote to work related tasks.

Americans spend more time working & commuting, taking less days off per year than any other industrialized nation. Europeans are fortunate to have a guaranteed two week paid vacation holiday each year. Americans are lucky to use a sick day here & there. So, hard work & the dedication of Americans working toward the American Dream facilitates the cycle of 50+ hour work weeks, stress ladened lives, & plenty of Monday blues. For some the work week creeps by, but for others the days fly by leaving the individual feeling as if there is never enough time in the day to complete all the commitments they have taken on to do.

In Counseling, Psychology & Sociology, the disciplines ask students to consider work satisfaction as an element that factors in how one looks at the quality of their life. In Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow stated that the level of transcendence will bring life satisfaction. Holocaust survivor & psychiatrist Viktor Frankl believed that meaning & purpose are what bring fulfillment to the individual. When we consider the importance of these three simple beliefs & how they apply to life we can sum up their premise to state something like: If you love what you are doing every day, you will easily find the meaning & purpose of your existence, especially if you give some of yourself back to society willingly in hopes that you can help others out in a positive manner. So, the essence in life comes from giving of yourself each day to things that are joyful to be associated with. When I stop to consider the importance of these three simple concepts, it is not hard to understand that their principles ask us to contemplate the ways that we have control in what we do with our life & our time. What better way of addressing all of these tenets by becoming the best instructor we have the capacity to be?

As an instructor we are the vehicle that helps move information & the minds of students. We utilize theory, history, concepts, technology & words to convey what is known so that what is not known can be discovered. Instructors profess the intricate material uniquely associated with the discipline we teach. The knowledge we share with our students ultimately facilitates a reshaping of ideology, premise, & foundational belief. Our presence in the classroom, whether physical or virtual is one of the most important components of facilitating knowledge & growth. When the student finds their instructor is passionate about the topic, they are more willing to invest in learning. By maintaining a consistent presence for the students, the instructor becomes more invested in the self & in the three theories of Maslow, Frankl & the importance of obtaining career satisfaction. What more could you ask for if every morning when your feet hit the ground first thing that you actually loved doing what you do? I will end this with one of the most poignant words of wisdom a favorite professor in grad school once told me, "You are responsible for the way you feel about your situation." So, in essence, you are responsible for taking the path you do in life. In realizing this, you become empowered to make the most of each day for yourself, & for the students you hold in your hands each semester...

When YOU are Feeling Down~

Just when springtime is springing, teasing us with warmer days mixed with blizzards, "Here comes the cold!" you say to yourself with partial dismay. However, you are NOT talking about the snowy white wet stuff falling outside. No. You are talking about the dreaded scratchy feeling starting to creep up in the back of your throat. You quickly assess how long it has been since your last cold or flu and know it is bound to be your turn to deal with a virus. You hope you will not have the flu but only sniffles to contend with. But as the day wears on, you know this is going to be more than a three day cold, you can just feel it.

Based on past colds you know that it takes a few days for them to find their peak. As each hour passes, the next is worse than the last. "Great!" you think as you realize it is Thursday night and students will begin posting most of their threaded responses in the next day that you will have to tend to, and two of your classes are submitting dozens of papers that are due Sunday. Quickly you begin forming a battle plan, so as to be the most efficient as possible as you continually feel sicker by the day. So what battle plan do you have in the wings to help support that one week or two during the semester when it is your turn catch the germy germs?

Most of us deal with a lot of excuses throughout the semester from students who write to tell us of their illnesses, back problems, pregnancy woes, or oldtimers [forgetfulness]. Many teachers like to remain pretty much on the surface with communication between the student and themselves limited to the curriculum. It has been my experience that building a positive rapport with the students facilitates reciprocation if you are the one who needs a little time to recover from being sick. Students who enjoy the class and the teachers presence are more accommodating when the teacher needs extra time to grade assignments, answer emails and attend to the numerous discussions.

If you find yourself feeling under the weather, post a News announcement informing your students that you aren't feeling will, letting them know it might take more time than usual to address their papers. This reminds students that there is a real being on the other end of the communications that is vulnerable to needing extra time like they occasionally need. With the online learning environment, getting to class when you are sick is a lot easier than commuting, but you still need to lessen the stress so that you can bounce back more quickly. Students are much more willing to accommodate our needs when we meet theirs over the course of the semester... ~:o)

Who is that man??

Just for fun: Can anyone identify the man in this photo with me? No cheating by Googling! What is your guess?

Hint: He is one of the greatest contributors to psychology ever, and I am so thrilled to know him!

How Do You Handle Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a plain and simple method of taking the words or work of others without giving proper credit. When a student uses the work of another without citing, is the use intentional or can it be due to misteaching? Do you award a zero for the grade or bestow the opportunity for a learning experience? There are instructors who give no credit for the work. A zero on a paper worth 100-200 points can easily impact a grade.

When I discover potentially plagiarized content, I spend a lot of time verifying the suspected content to the original work. I pay attention to punctuation, spelling, sentence arrangement etc. to determine if the content was lifted by copying/pasting. I look for the lack of quotation marks, higher level verbiage than expected, different color font [pasted content tends to show up lighter in color] and inconsistent paragraphs that surround the plagiarized piece.

Once identified, I send an email to the student professionally addressing the seriousness of the issue of using another person's work without citing properly. I grade the paper from zero to partial credit. Depending upon the response of the student will determine the direction of the next step. It has been my experience that the student will be willing to make corrections in their paper by adding the appropriate citations, quotation marks and sentence structuring such as Thio (2010) states, "Deviance is seen as ..." I am more in favor of a student learning from their mistakes than the situation turning into a now win situation. After all, convicted criminals receive more than a single chance to do things in life the right way.

It is most important that you do contact your Chair alerting him/her of the situation so that they can become involved as needed. Also, if the student has a history of plagiarizing, talking to your Chair can be helpful of finding an alternative way of handling the student. There are times when a tougher form of punishment is warranted such as academic suspension or expulsion, and you will need fully informed support who understands the issue at hand.

Remember to always remain in control, respectful, professional, and fair. Using email for communication to address the problem provides a way to document the exchange between the student and instructor rather than personal phone calls. Listen to the student. It is not unusual for a student to not use quotes and only list the references in a *Works Cited* page thinking this is the appropriate way to use citations. It might help to upload a sample template into your classroom to show what format you expect to be followed for writing assignments and citing references. This leaves little room for *misunderstandings.*

I'll Have an Epiphany with that Peak Experience!

In the last blog I reminded of the importance of peak experiences, and how epiphanies help foster the attainment and retaining of knowledge. Providing your students the opportunity to experience epiphanies associated with higher learning comes from presenting questions that cause the student to explore and synthesize new concepts. The process of attainment also comes in the evaluation of the material, and having an ability to ask questions in the classroom when not certain of the material.

Some students however are shy and do not like to speak up or share in the discussions. Some even feel intimidated by the professor or other students who are comfortable in their openness. Increasing participation comes from each student knowing you genuinely care about their success. They will discover your authentic qualities through the manner their questions are addressed, and in the encouragement you send their way.

I can sure testify that I did not have the capacity to define epiphanies before I started back to college ten years ago. Life just kind of did its thing, unfolding day by day as I busied myself as a military wife and mother of five. I was a mere life spectator that understood how to get high on life through experiences that meant something personal to me. But an epiphany? What was that?? Well, that was an angle I had to learn! Now that I have grasped the essence of what an epiphany brings into my life, I am eager to experience more, for an epiphany brings about new revelation or truth to some concept about one’s world. Allow me to share the most powerful epiphany that I have ever experienced related to higher academia.

In graduate school while I was studying Counseling, students were expected to find a theory that they were really wild about and take the principles of that theory as their own, and operate under those principles while counseling. When we can find a theory that is most like us and how we perceive the world, we become better counselors. For instance, if I were to believe that irrational behaviors are personal choices and not a condition of someone else causing me to behave irrationally, I might want to embrace Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques that focus on think, feel and do. Well I was having one heck of a time finding *my* theory. I started getting nervous during that semester as I began hearing classmates speak excitedly that they had found *their* theory. The problem I was having was that I liked ALL the theories I was reading about!

I remember that first day of theory class with Dr. David Fenell. As we all sat awaiting his arrival, classmates nervously chatted with each other not knowing what to expect. Finally the door opened and in strode a tall, lanky grey haired professor in a bow tie and a motorcycle helmet under his arm! A bow tie!? I kind of laughed to myself as this was quite a surprise to see someone of his stature in the 21st Century teaching in such an accessory. After listening to his direct instructions, I instantly picked up the tone of military service, sensing an intimidating presence of this professor. As the semester went on, we discovered that Dr. Fenell was indeed a soldier, a Colonel in the US Army Reserves who served in Iraq as a counselor, teaching counseling skills and offering mental health assistance on many levels. He was a war hero I came to respect very, very much, as a professor and a world renowned Marriage and Family Therapist.

I have always appreciated theory and the underpinnings related to the vast information theorists leave behind for us to discover. It is my view that theorists bestow a legacy of knowledge for future generations to comb through so that we may grasp why things happen as they do without starting the investigative process all over again. I remember absorbing each chapter of the book for Fenell’s class, all the while asking myself if each theory I was exploring would be my eventual theoretical orientation. Chapters on Carl Rogers and Alfred Adler made sense and I embraced their ideologies. Then I read Viktor Frankl and Rollo May’s contributions to existentialism. I embraced every word. I felt myself connect with the philosophical and techniqueless purpose of existentialism—helping people find meaning in life…until I hit the one sentence which stated, “You are responsible for your situation.” What?! Struggling with one particular piece, I questioned how children are responsible for being beaten. How is it that abused women are responsible for being beaten or emotionally traumatized in abusive relationships? How were the Holocaust victims responsible for their demise? Oh how I agonized over this theory! This statement!

As I sat in Fenell’s class the following week, that persecuting sentence mulled around in my head to the point I could not listen to the lecture on the existential chapter. I remember how I needed to sum up the courage to question Fenell on this matter, for raising my hand in his class made me very uncomfortable. Dr. Fenell was so intimidating! Finally, I challenged myself to raise my arm and question the validity of this skewed existential premise of personal responsibility. It was the decision to ask that changed my life. All the pieces fell into place and I had the answer to so much of what my quest had been about through years of higher learning. “Dr. Fenell, how is it that victims of abuse are responsible for what they went through?” Fenell paused. He looked at me, cocked his head, took a giant step to his right and pointing his hands at me said, “You are responsible for the way you feel about your situation.” I felt the world tilt on its axis as Fenells’ translation impacted my knowledge.

This is the defining moment of discovery I will never forget. Suddenly for me, victim actions and victim response made sense. I instantly found my theoretical orientation and accidentally exposed within myself what spawned resiliency in my life…because I had taken the responsibility to feel indifferent about my own youth, I took action to change it! I now had words and the definiendum of who I had always been, to illuminate the direction I had come from, and a purpose of growing even more toward self-actualization. Now I envision myself not as a wounded healer, but a very empathetic individual that truly seeks to assist others in finding their own unique defining moments of epiphany. How will you inspire student epiphanies? Bring on the epiphanies!!

Epiphanies & Peak Experiences

As professors, we have the power to shape the learning environment of our students to create an abundant opportunity for discovery. Discovery facilitates epiphanies. Epiphanies help solidify new concepts. We each have the power to make our learning milieu a place where students share ideas and enjoy participating in the online classroom experience. We also have the power to turn students off if we are not attentive to the classroom the same as a face to face class. Great instructors check in daily, answer more threads than the average, and are those who never forget what it was like to be a student. Great instructors also remember what it was like to have a not so great instructor or classroom experience. Sometimes, as individuals, we need to relearn how to de-stress, grab life by the horns, and recharge our life expectation before we can effectively profess knowledge. As the airline attendant instructs the adult to place the O2 mask on first before the child, the instructor must take care of the self before (s)he can take effectively profess to others.

We have all heard of the old saying, “Stop and smell the roses.” This phrase is exactly what Abraham Maslow was trying to convey to those who took interest in his Theory of Needs. In order to have a Peak Experience [PE], an individual must have the capacity to recognize one. Peak experiences are moments that occur in life that bring epiphanies or goose bumps or make the hair on the back of your neck prickle. Peak experiences can be visual, physical, or auditory. They may be experiences that brand our memory with delightful remembrances of special moments or achievements of ourselves or others. Such experiences bring warm, internal feelings of elation. They also have a positive impact on our physiological state, which in turn, brings responses similar to adrenaline rushes.

The most obvious kind of experiences are as in the birth of a child, a graduation or a special Christmas morning after discovering a most coveted toy. Births are essentially easiest to relate to when explaining what a PE consists of. When a child enters the world we are so excited to meet this tiny little being—to inspect the delicate fingers and toes, and to see who the child most resembles. The entire birth experience becomes one that will never be forgotten, especially for the mother. For most, meeting a newborn the first time brings elation, a summation of nine long months of anticipation. While staring into the face of this new little being, we savor the moment with endless hopes for the future.

The more positive life experiences we are able to feel, the more likely we are to seek out choices time and time again that reward us with more PEs. A most notable PE includes earning a diploma—an uplifting experience, which brings promise and hope of a new direction in life. Getting an A in a class that was extremely challenging brings a realization that hard work is justly rewarded. Creating a beautiful piece of furniture brings hope that the craftsmanship will be of such quality that the article will generate years of appreciation by the owner, or a beloved pet accepting us into their quality world accentuates the meaning of unconditional love for us is deeply realized. Upholding family values or morals enhance individual integrity, and provide us with a sense of pride. These are just brief samples of efforts that not only create a PE in the moment, but are of such concentration that they continue to reward through the fond memories we recall throughout our lives.

Many PEs require a more in-depth concentration or attuned vulnerability to everyday life. One has to be open to experiencing warm fuzzies without the tendency of dismissing meaningful occurrences as nothing. Little PEs can be magnified when the person allows themselves to feel the impact of their message. There is no denying that a first kiss sparks warm, wonderful feelings of joy. But there are more subtle experiences such as attending a Symphony concert and absorbing the sweet sounds of string instruments enveloping the mind and the soul. Witnessing an individual you care about being awarded for their achievements, or watching a foal struggle to its feet shortly after birth brings warmth to the heart. Hearing a song that brings reminiscence of an old flame or beloved long gone ancestor assists with recall of beautiful life memories that were excellent teachers of life.

Recognizing PEs enables the individual to maintain homeostasis [balance] in the mind and soul. Physiologically, PEs provide us with the antioxidants that help promote good health, which in turn counterbalances stress. Let’s face it…what is better for us? Getting High on Life or succumbing to the many stressors life provides us with in abundance? When we are able to naturally uplift our spirits through positive life occurrences, we are better able to maintain our mental health—a feeder to how we respond to life.

If you need practice on how to identify PEs, sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and start with remembering how you felt when your eyes locked with your spouse on your wedding day at the start of the ceremony, or how you felt seeing your newborn the first time, or the first time you fell into love. What did it feel like to finally have your first driver’s license or to cash your first paycheck? How about going on your first date or attending your first prom? How about seeing the joy on your toddlers face first thing in the morning when you peek at them in their crib? The goal here with PEs is to try to have at least one a day. If you are able to achieve more than one a day, more power to you! Remember, the body is the best natural medicine cabinet on the planet. If we pay attention to our feelings and CHOOSE to pursue optimism, PEs, a well rounded quality world and genuine, loving relationships—what more could we ever want in life? How will this realization affect our teaching? Through recognizing the definition of PEs, you are able to sample the true meaning of life. So, how peak are your experiences?