TO:
FROM: Phil
Fournier
DATE: 10/25/2004
RE: EVOC 501, FA9 writing assignment, related studies
Computer Skills
I
see computer skills as being key to success as an
instructor, and certainly they are at the top of my list. As a result of several community college
classes beginning in 1995, I have become fairly proficient at Microsoft Office,
including all products with the exception of Front Page (I am hoping to learn a
good bit about this in
Diet & Exercise
I see this as very
important to my overall health. I took
up tennis about three years ago and find it is a sport I enjoy that also gives
me good exercise. I have high
cholesterol and am on a cholesterol reduction drug, but at the same time I have
changed my diet to avoid fatty foods. I
need to keep up with the tennis and not allow the pressures of work, school,
and teaching to stop me as it is very easy to get out of the habit of
exercise. Fortunately, my day job is far
from sedentary, but it does not include anything cardio-vascular so I need to
include some kind of sport that makes me sweat and breath hard.
Creative Writing
I’m not sure how
drastically important this skill is to teaching, but I enjoy writing and
expressing myself well. I learned to
write in College English classes and have leveraged that skill in a number of
different directions. I write
technically for trade magazines, and although I have editors who will correct
mistakes, I have found that they like my work even more because they have very
little correcting work to do. Typically,
they spend more time simply reducing word count because of the space
limitations of a magazine. Additionally,
I have published a book which I co-authored about my life and work. On an ongoing basis, I write a weekly Bible
study in Spanish and a Sunday School lesson in
English. I am supposed to take an upper
division writing course to get my BVE.
I’d like to think I can pass the proficiency exam, but if I have the
time, it might be more fun to take the course.
Elements of Design
I have very little
interest in Art, but I would like to learn more about design; particularly, the
designing of websites and presentations to make them look attractive. This one will probably have to wait for some
time while I get other things out of the way first.
Music
I took my very first
music class (American Music) in the summer of 2003. I think I was a pretty big frustration to the
instructor as every time he said “you guys already know this stuff” I would
shake my head no. I learned a great deal
about the history of American music and in particular, I learned about the
music that is written for film.
Formerly, I had never paid attention to it; it was kind of just there in
the back ground. Now, I pay close
attention to how the film makers use music to enhance the theme of the
movie. All of my children and my wife
play the piano, and I would someday like to learn to play myself. Like the above, this is one that will have to
wait.
Financial Planning
This is important for
everyone. I was fortunate to make some
good choices and take some calculated risks early in my life that have worked
out well for me. As an employer, I have
observed how poor financial planning and budgeting have caused endless grief to
some of my employees. As a result, I
have incorporated a retirement plan into my small business and offer my
employees the financial planning that goes along with it. One of the reasons I want to finish my degree
is because I enjoy teaching so much it would feel like being retired and soon I
will be able to live well on the reduced income I would realize as a teacher
instead of a small business owner.
Public Speaking
I consider myself to be
pretty good at this, mostly by reason of lots of practice, but also because of
two different speech classes I took at community college. But there are a number of things I think I
could improve on, particularly the control of my facial expressions, which my
wife and others have told me can be distracting. Now that I am aware of them, I am trying to
learn to control them on my own.
Acting/Drama
While I have no plans
along this line, I do have one incentive to find some way to learn this
skill. I have to change my TV
commercials for my small business every year or so, and the script writer who
writes my commercials loves to have me as an actor in them. I have found it to be EXTREMELY difficult,
and not at all like other types of public speaking.
Police Ride Along
This sounds like
fun. My niece is a 911 operator and I
have often thought about going to work with her and listening in. Once again, my already very busy schedule
does not allow this to be high on the priority list.
Martial Arts
I put this at the bottom
of my list simply because I have never given it a moment’s consideration. But, this has at least planted a seed. Perhaps I will consider it some time in the
future.