Creating a supportive classroom environment
Colleagues acknowledge, "Daryl teaches topics that can be emotionally charged. Her ability to create a classroom environment where students feel free to safely express their opinions is particularly important."

 

 

   Daryl also has a playful side, and uses her quick wit and sense of humor to engage the class. Though she has resided in the west for many years, she was raised in New York City, and her east coast alter ego occasionally makes an appearance in class.

 

Her teaching philosophy

"My philosophy of teaching is not easy to put into words. My life philosophy and teaching philosophy are parallel, but not quite the same. 
I am already committed to life long learning for myself. A natural outlet for my learning obsession is to share what I learn with others. What is knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? What do people know? Engraved above one of the campus building entrances is written: Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn. The inscription reminds me of the saying: "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller."

I’d like to think of teaching as a bold, sometimes scary adventure that challenges me with feelings that both reward me with knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of my students, and haunt me with the fear of failure.

 

   Teaching involves the tools such as writing, reading, lecture, discussion, research, and in class activities. But what does it really mean to think? To learn? To know something? The best teaching occurs when I get the "me" out of the way and focus on what is best for the learner, the students. How can a teacher stimulate more thinking about a subject rather than rote memorizing? The magic of teaching involves inspiring the learners to want to find the answers, to want to inquire and investigate more into the subject.

 

 
Can the students understand how to make the subject in class applicable to the outside world? By taking an in-depth look at how we get the information, we begin to see what we use to make decisions. In class we look at our prevailing cultural assumptions, especially in public health and often read opposing points of view. The students get uncomfortable with this form of inquiry, because they would rather believe what they read in the textbook is the right answer. Sometimes, with this form of inquiry, we find that we don’t know the right answer. This may be uncomfortable, even for me, as the instructor.   Public health is about understanding the big picture. I always say Public Health is the Nations’ immune system. Just as with your own immune system, when everything is working, nothing happens; we take it for granted and go on with our daily lives. But when something breaks down and individuals get sick or on a national level there is an epidemic, then we all want to know what is not working and what we can do to fix it. I like helping students shift perspective from the personal to the public, and to explore practical applications. I have students in class consider the impact of health policies on different populations, communities and in different countries. We examine trends and culture influences as well.
This is a little more about my philosophy of public health than my philosophy of teaching. I have my point of view, and I try my best not to impose that on the class. I ask them to articulate their own values, priorities and assumptions. This is not always easy, because when the students tell me that they think and feel, I don’t always like it. But that is the whole point, we all have our viewpoints and we all think our viewpoints are right. This is where it gets daring. By challenging the students, I am also putting myself in a position where I have to profess what I know about the learning process in a way that inspires the students to push past their own limitations, and experience the adventure of having new thoughts and insights."  

A wealth of experience

Daryl brings a variety of professional experiences to enrich her teaching. Prior to joining the faculty at Western Oregon University in 2003, she spent 20 years working as an alcohol and drug counselor. This first hand experience helps her clarify the links between theory and practice in the classroom. Linking theory and practice is important in every discipline, but, "the stakes are very high in our profession since the work of students who graduate from our field will have a direct impact on clients’ health," observes Linda Stonecipher, Division Chair of Health and Physical Education.

Since coming to Western, Daryl has taught Study of Drugs and Alcohol, Contemporary Health Issues, International Health, Complimentary Health and Alternative Medicine, Health and Social Services (a service learning course), Stress Management, AIDS and STDs.

 

   Daryl completed a Masters degree in public health from Oregon State University in 2003 and has a Bachelors degree from Ohio University. In addition, she is a certified Massage Therapist and has taught Anatomy and Physiology at the Oregon School of Massage.

 

Supporting Students

Daryl’s commitment to staying abreast of current information in the field is evident in all the classes she teaches. Students also regularly investigate and report on new developments in health care, learning in the process how rapidly the health care field is changing. Daryl also makes use of technology to help students navigate the complexities of the health care system. Daryl engages students in through and reflection and skillfully facilitated a discussion with over 50 student comments in one class period.

The first year at WOU she continued facilitation of the already established campus Relaxation Lab, which was implemented and run by WOU students. This included training and supporting students to use relaxation techniques including music, meditation and biofeedback.

   Colleagues report that Daryl is also a popular advisor for students who select health as their major or minor. She currently advises 20 students.

In February Daryl participated in the Focus on Leadership program offered through the Student Leadership program as part of Student Affairs. She led a session on Resiliency and How to Bounce Back after Failure.

 

 

University Service

For the past two years Daryl has served as Chair of the International Education and Service Committee, which compliments her role as instructor of the International Health course. She also is a member of the College of Education Diversity Committee. In addition, she has coordinated the Academic Excellence Showcase for the Health and Physical Education Division for the past three years to ensure that student’s work is recognized. The Academic Excellence Showcase is an important way to highlight exceptional work by students. Participation in the Showcase has steadily increased each year, with 19 presentations in the Division in Spring 2006, with an average attendance of 45 students and faculty per session.

What her students say

I love her class – it is fun and challenging.
Thought provoking.

I like the course, it’s informative and the information is useful in our lives.

This class is thought provoking and forces you to see al sides of an issue.

   I really enjoyed the discussions, debates, and how the topics were current and things that affect our lives.

I like her enthusiasm and respect for students. Very knowledgeable and provides great examples.

She is helpful with a nice, warm heart.

 

Why she likes teaching

Daryl is having a lot of fun at Western Oregon University. She enjoys the challenges and rewards of teaching.

In addition, she values the positive interaction with her colleagues in the division. "I have learned about coaching and the value of team, I have learned about the responsibility of teaching teachers, I have learned about making movement and exercise a part of a lifestyle, not just competing in sports but to just go and "play," I have learned from practitioners of Tai Chi, Pilates-Yoga, and meditation—I am constantly being challenged to learn and do more"

  

Hi.  I am Daryl. Here is a picture of my Aura

The Artwork of Daryl Thomas

My Pink Flamingo Party

 This is my Living Room

This is my cat

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