Doug Jolley: Coming back to school, Doug Jolley didn't fit the traditional mold and wasn't sure what to expect. After being a part-time dad and working in business for several years, Jolley was excited ... more>>

Helpful Instructors  Doug Jolley says his Westminster instructors were active partners in his success.
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...about the elementary education program and began to prepare himself for new challenges. Take the Creative Arts class, for example.

"I knew they were going to talk about dance and that they were going to talk about art, and I'm thinking 'how am I going to do this let alone teach this?' I found I could get up and do it in front of a bunch of my peers, and, if I could do that, I could do it in the classroom. I was stretched but thoroughly enjoyed it."

To record his learning experiences, Jolley chose to do an electronic portfolio. "I'm still working on it; it's an ongoing process. [The portfolio] is something that really makes me stop and reflect on what I've done. It certainly represents you and the things that you accomplish."

After speaking with friends in other education programs, Jolley feels that Westminster has gone above and beyond in preparing him for his teaching career. "I felt like [the professors] really cared about what we were doing and how we were doing in the program. Every step of the way they were there to see how they could help; it wasn't just mouth service. They'd call you up to ask you how it was going. They really cared about my success while I was there."