Student Tribune
TCC Gratitude Series, Day 2: Kudos to ESOL and Transitional Studies
Day 2 of TCC gratitude continues kudos with from students to faculty and
staff. Today’s recognized academic department is ESOL and Transitional
Studies: faculty and staff appreciate you.
Kudos from Faculty and Staff to ESOL and Transitional
Studies
The entire ESOL and Transitional Studies Department
- The ESOL/TRS Department has experienced a challenging semester with
the announcement that the current plan for reorganization would see department
disciplines integrated into other academic departments. The ongoing process has
occupied a considerable part of the department's bandwidth. Despite this, the
faculty of the ESOL/TRS Department continue to diligently serve their students.
They remain involved in important initiatives across the College and continue
to advocate for students. Their dedication to supporting student needs in order
to uphold equity of access to education remains unwavering. It's inspiring to
work among educators so dedicated to student success. Kudos to the faculty of
the ESOL/TRS Department!
Eric Berg, (ESOL and Transitional Studies Department)
- Eric is a new chair, and he came into the position at a challenging
time for the department. He has handled many situations with a level-headed
calmness that is much-appreciated. It is because of his dedication to students
and tireless work that we are making progress on several initiatives.
Jim McCusker, (ESOL and Transitional Studies Department)
- Professor McCusker's wealth of knowledge around teaching writing,
his support for fellow colleagues and commitment to his students is beyond
exceptional. Jim's humor and wit can brighten up anyone's day and is and added
bonus to an all-around superb individual.
Kudos from Students to Faculty and Staff: Letters from D to G and
stay tune for more kudos!!!
Dana Voldan Curry, (School of Social Sciences and Global
Studies)
- Dana makes scheduling appointments very easy and provides multiple
way of carrying out the appointments. I have scheduled an appointment with her
almost every semester for setting up classes. She has always been able to guide
me in the right direction for my degree and she gave me recommendations for my
electives and help to decide which will be most helpful in farthing my degree.
I have enjoyed all the classes she has suggested as well as her personality.
She's very patient, kind, and caring for everyone and their goals.
David Herbst, (Mathematics), Receiving 2 Nominations
- Mr. Herbst taught my class to go back to the basics. We take
everything one step at a time and it relieves the humiliation of getting a
question wrong, that a lot of students feel. He doesn’t make us feel bad
for not understanding, he just helps us through it. He takes the time to get to
know us and is genuine in his efforts. Math class, because of his caring
approach, is not scary or embarrassing to go to anymore. He just wants us to
succeed, one step at a time.
- Genuinely cares about his students and them understanding the
material. He makes class a stress-free experience.
David McLuckie, (ESOL & Transitional Studies -Downtown
Campus)
- Mr. Mcluckie has been there to encourage me and remind me not to
give up. He uses comforting words to help me stay focused and on track the
assignments I feel are challenging for me. Having a professor that shows they
care about your mental state is truly invaluable. He inspired me to keep
pushing forward and even when things get tough.
David Pultorak, (Engineering and Physics)
- Professor Pultorak puts personability back into teaching. He is
patient in labs, understanding of circumstances, and most of all kind. Quick
with a smile and a full of amusing idioms, Professor Pultorak is always willing
to give you a hand up when the material is beating you down. Knowledgeable from
his years in industry, he is exciting to talk to about the overwhelming number
of avenues our perspective careers could take us. Fun Fact about Professor
Pultorak, he and his friends stay connected by recreating and competing in
various random games like battleship etc. on their computers. Thank you for
being a down to earth, caring, and invigorating person/professor!
Dianne Chamberlain, (ESOL & Transitional Studies)
- She helps me along with not be scared to write essay. She
always tells me I got this. I would like to thank her for helping this new
journey.
Dianne Clements, (ESOL & Transitional Studies)
- This woman is remarkable in so many ways. I have never had a
teacher who wants to see their students succeed more than she does.
Despite the situations I have been through and shared with her, never once has
she treated me less than-always equal too. If it were not for her helping
to inspire me to believe more in my own self this semester, I truly do not
believe I would have made it this far. If there is anyone who deserves
this award it is her.
Donald Toyer, (ESOL & Transitional Studies)
- Mr. Toyer is a wonderful professor, he makes learning math so easy!
He explains it to us until we get it, and shows us different steps if were
still confused. He makes coming to school so enjoyable and makes learning fun!
thank you for giving me confidence in being successful!!
Donna Burke, (ESOL & Transitional Studies), Receiving 2
Nominations
- Throughout the entirety of our COS 101 course, Professor Burke made
every effort to help accommodate students, make them feel heard, and be an
overall good person. As this was my first semester online, COS 101 made my
transition into the flow of school easier and gave me goals that I keep in mind
every day. Thank you thank you thank you
- Phenomenal techniques to build our college standards is being
taught by someone who believes and knows that getting a college degree is
possible. She is very knowledgeable about the resources that are usually
not shared by your average professor's. She helps you find that drive
that is required to go on and be successful in obtaining your college degree.
The tool her class provides are essential to my college career and I am
thankful that she was the professor who brought me out of my fog and helped me
refocus.
Ebony Brown, (Criminal Justice), Receiving 2 Nominations
- Professor Brown is easily one of the best professors I’ve
had. She makes class easy to follow by using her personal stories to make the
material relevant.
- Professor Brown is incredibly hard-working and always finds ways to
show her love and support for all of her students. She not only teaches in her
spare time while also being an RPD investigator, but she is also an
extraordinary professor. She communicates with her students about their needs
and struggles, attending to their classwork and giving helpful feedback. We all
love and appreciate Professor brown's work for her students and the CRJ
department.
Elena Dilai, (Mathematics), Receiving 2 Nominations
- She is very helpful, she makes the class easier to understand and
she is very patient exampling the problem in different and as many times as you
need.
- She is very helpful and kind. She is very Patient and takes the
time to make sure you understand your work.
Elizabeth Voll, (Chemistry and Geoscience), Receiving 2
Nominations
- She teaches like teaching kindergartners, which isn’t a bad
thing, because for some people, the repetition and simplifying the daunting
course of chemistry helps! She provides answers that are understandable, as in
how did we get there. She’s very calm which I think lessens the pressure.
She emails ahead the weekly schedule, and information about the quizzes the
night before. I’d think she prepares us students pretty well for tests,
if you’re willing to put in your part of the learning.
- After struggling with chemistry in high school, Professor Voll has
made it one of the easiest subjects to learn and retain. She makes sure all her
students understand every lesson and isn't afraid of our million questions. You
can tell she truly loves her job and cares for each one of her students. She
has made the transition from high school to college a joyful and less stressful
experience. So, thank you, we appreciate you more than you know.
Elizabeth Walker, (Mathematics)
- Professor Walker has been quite an understanding and excellent
professor. She has, on numerous occasions, been able to help me learn and
understand topics and subjects that other teachers have struggled to help me
with. She also has gone out of her way to make sure that I have a full
understanding of these topics and has actively spent her own time helping me to
when I don’t. She is a very kind professor and has given me the
confidence that I will pass not only her class but all of my other classes as
well.
Eraj Basnayake, (Mathematics)
- Professor B's genuine concern for his students' success is clear in
each and every one of his classes. He is patient and thorough, taking as much
time as each student needs to ask questions, even if it means combing through a
lengthy problem over, and over, and often adding a touch of humor to lighten
the weight of college algebra. As an adult learner returning to school, I was
beyond intimidated to be taking my first math class in over 10 years. Professor
B's teaching has helped clear any of the nerves I had and I am now excelling in
Math 104. He is deserving of a shoutout!
Eric Berg, (ESOL & Transitional Studies)
- Mr. Berg was my professor last semester and the way he leads with
kindness and patience is unparalleled to any other teacher. We were in a flex
place class but I still always felt that he was happy to help us. He is a
fantastic teacher and offers so many tools to help you through the class. He
asked us at the beginning of the semester to rate our confidence with math on a
scale of 1-10 and at the time I know I said something very low, because math is
difficult for me. But after Mr. Berg’s constant efforts to come up with
strategies that work for every student individually and his patience, I left
his class with a much higher rating. Not because of how good I am in math, but
how confident I am that I can always get through it, because the patience that
he demonstrated with his students is now the patience that I show myself.
Erin Strobl, (Biology)
- Professor Strobl has made the curriculum of her classes so
intriguing and exciting that I am now on a pathway towards biology! I look
forward to every single one of her classes. She is such a fun and bright
person, and is so extremely intelligent. The concepts in class can sometimes be
hard to grasp, but she teaches in a way that allows learning to be so easy and
understandable. She’s patient, kind and funny, and she makes the class so
welcoming. I am so lucky to have her as a professor.
Frankie Weldgen, (Visual and Performing Arts), Receiving 2
Nominations
- He is a really kind and understanding professor. I never have once
felt stressed to finish an assignment in his class, he explains the assignments
really well and teaches about art very well and thoroughly.
- He’s an incredible teacher that motivates his students to do
their best and always has a positive attitude. I’ve never met someone who
had him for a class that said they wouldn’t want to have him again. I
technically don’t need to have another class with him but I want to take
his comic class because I enjoy comics and I would love to have him as a
teacher again.
Gabe Armatas, (Chemistry and Geoscience), Receiving 2
Nominations
- Very down to earth and understanding. I'm struggling but keep going
because he is encouraging also, I like how he teaches.
- Professor Armatas was incredibly supportive and kind during our
classes.
Gary Rainford, (English and Philosophy)
- Gary has been an awesome professor to work with my first semester
at MCC. I really appreciate the patience and encouragement he showed me while
working on my first thesis statement. It is because of this patience and
encouragement that I now feel confident in my writing skills.
Gordon Dutter, (Anthropology, History, Political Science,
Sociology)
- Makes each lesson very well informed and makes each PowerPoint
presentation very well elaborative about each topic. I feel very well informed
and feel like my questions were thoroughly answered and expanded upon.
Kural, Melis
Teaching & Creativity Center
12/07/2023