Deborah S. Podwika, M.A.,C.S.M.
Kankakee Community College
Humanities and Social Science Division
Psychology Department - P.O. Box 888, River Road
Kankakee, IL 60901-0888
Office: L318 NEW!!
Office: 815.802.8712
Fax: 815.802.8101
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.geocities.com/debbiepodwika/
STUDENT COMMENTS
Here is a lengthier comment....
Ms. P �
I just finished my final and wanted to take a moment to thank you for providing such instrumental curriculum
in your course. It seems that we often hear about complaints, but seldom get commended for a job well done.
As background information, I�ve taken 10% telecourses, 20% online, and the balance in conventional classrooms in
Watseka and Kankakee. As of this summer, I will have completed sixty hours at KCC, and you have been my BEST
instructor, by far.
I know that we reveal many inner thoughts and experiences in your class, but I want you to know where I�m coming from.
I am a mature business person who has served in areas of advertising, marketing, accounting, and small business.
I�ve also participated in many community development roles such as mediation, steering committees, and grant-writing.
In other words, I thought I was a competent old dog with few new tricks to learn. Your class was the most
challenging and most insightful in my college career. You added a great mix of discussion, article reviews, videos,
and outside assignments to an already excellent textbook. I will take many valuable lifetime tools from your course
regarding self-awareness, multiple intelligences, aggression, conflict and peacemaking, and gender differences.
I know some students that feel this is a serious, rigorous course, but you were always available for help,
including weekends, and provided many optional extra credit opportunities. I particularly appreciated the alternate
methods one could utilize for proving the knowledge he or she had acquired. This semester with you has solidified
my decision to major in English Secondary Education.
I applaud your efforts to provide a course that actually changes students� lives. You teach in stark contrast to
several KCC instructors that I have had in the past two years. Unfortunately, several of them could hardly be labeled
"teachers,� and I felt that I was often actually teaching myself the material. I was fortunate to be an
intelligent, conscientious student, but I saw several people in the classes do poorly because of the teacher�s lack of
leadership, attention, and organization. Your innovative methods have inspired me to make a difference in the
lives of high school students. I have a great desire to not only impart knowledge, but to facilitate the
students� development of self-efficacy and internal goals, to encourage creativity and alternate displays of
knowledge, to teach the usefulness of team relationships, and to demonstrate how the application of classroom lessons
can improve their adult, college, and working lives.
As an aside, I particularly enjoyed bringing my portfolio to your office and meeting you last week. That visit is a
great way to cap off the very personal, enriching journey of your Social Psychology course. Congratulations on
creating a great class and best wishes for wherever the future finds you.
Sincerely,
Rexann McKinley 5/04
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