|
 A
few words about me.....
Like
many of you, I hadn’t much of a clue as to what I was going to do with my
college education when I started out as a community college student. I
originally began as a major in Sociology, then Theatre Arts, and finally found
my “home” in Psychology. I took years off here and there while figuring out
what to do with myself, and how to find a career that would be personally
satisfying.
My Master’s degree is a relatively rare one in psychology:
Community-Clinical Psychology. I completed the basic coursework that clinicians
(therapists) take, but my primary focus was on how to make psychology accessible
to everyday folks. I was much more interested in working toward the prevention
of emotional distress than in waiting for it to take its toll on people. And so
I began working as a family life/sexuality educator for a community agency that
served youth, their parents, their teachers, and other community people aimed at
the prevention of unintended teen pregnancy. From there, I moved on
to College teaching.
I believe that the courses I teach have great practical value for enriching our
personal lives as well as providing a solid academic foundation for further
study.
One of the important personal characteristics that I bring with me into the
classroom is my lifelong promise to myself to never forget what it was to be
like to be a child: curious, fun-seeking, awed by nature, a staunch believer in
justice, excited yet anxious about trying new things, and a pragmatist. I'm an
admitted chocolaholic, enjoy a good bottle of California wine now and then, love
to travel the world, hang out with friends at home, do a little gardening and
listen to National Public Radio, classic rock and "world music." I've been known
to drive a motorcycle, SCUBA, snow ski, camp in the snow, backpack on islands,
climb ancient Mayan temples, take 16 roller coaster rides in one day, and dance
alone in my living room. I even took a stunt plane flying lesson once. That
said, I also like to curl up on the sofa with a good book and my two cats.
Welcome
to my class. I feel honored to be your teacher. And I look forward to finding
out what it is that you are going to teach ME!
Callista |
