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Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio

Debra S. MillsPsychology Major

Concentration in HR & Counseling

Personal Statement: Getting to Know Me

Early in my elementary school years I discovered a personal truth that I have no limits other than those I decide to enforce upon myself. Everyone brings to the world distinctive talents, gifts, and abilities. Some of mine are held in love, faith, persistence, strong will, and determination. These are focused around my beliefs and the desire to help people bring themselves to a place in their life where they feel it has meaning. My further education in my field will be used with the intent of learning how to better a person’s mind and feelings with using how they can interpret their circumstances. This is not just an interest of mine; it is a lifelong dream to develop a positive influence used in creating workable training plans that can be facilitated by others and me to complete a transformation for anyone desiring changes in their lives. Having several opportunities over the years to use what I learned, observed and believed when participating in my initial adult life pertaining to love, faith, family, homeschooling, church, career, business, relationships, and life challenges; I came to the understanding that my beliefs, as do others, are one of the most important sources of happiness available that exists for us as humans. Putting my beliefs into practice came as an epiphany as my family life developed, my employment varied, and life took hold. Making any situation hold with a degree of faith, success, and optimism created a fulfillment that cannot be matched any other way. This is the area that needs to be furthered in our world under the areas of family counseling, employment cultures, rehabilitation, and the suggestions that lead to absolute life fulfillment. In my education, I was able to develop a positive perception concept, overcome a worry of “is it good enough” and learn how to research aspects of antidotes by being familiar with aspects of them from my classes fitting with experiences.

Great plans never start this way; no one is exempt from challenges that arise that need overcoming during their lives. I can honestly say that I am thankful for the adversities and trials which have crossed my path because they have strengthened my character and brought into view certain qualities that I might otherwise never have known. There are various personal issues with which I have struggled and I have no doubt as to where their foundations lie. Being a head-strong unbounded individual in my youth and young adult life, without a limit to what any person can or should accomplish; I have a past of experiences including a completed list on most of my personal undertakings dream list. Was that all that there was to life? I thought so and as I was preparing to consider services to community and church, the unthinkable happened. Personal and business tragedies upsetting my comfort and ruining my thoughts of early retirement raised their heads. Going back to work without any educational and societal working skills and the realization of my still untapped age old dreams and desires that have long been dormant, gave me an idea. Could I actually pursue the possibility of making a real meaningful contribution to others that may privilege me to have a chance to influence others in reaching their goals for their life and a rewarding family life? It was a decision that I had to make; was I to work in a simple heavy labor job, picking up a future tax-saved retirement, and consider laying on the sofa watching the television for the rest of my life or should recovery include pursuing a commitment in spreading seeds with love through hope in a world that needs personalizing.

My priorities as a woman that has been through many of life’s challenges, raising my family, supporting my husband’s endeavors, and now pursue the chance to open up my life to use it for offering to aid in enhancing the lives of others is the way to fully complete my life. I am ready to use what gifts and hard work are inside me to make a difference, whatever amount that may be, to worldly healing by helping one interested person at a time. Using the training of one’s thoughts from negative to positive in aspects of a person’s life, will give hope to better themselves, their family, their community, and their country. My strong belief is still that I have no limitations and my will to succeed has kept me going and it will not stop me from going forward now. One cannot always choose the circumstances one is dealt in their life, but one does have the choice as to how to chooses to deal with them. Some of my goals include developing myself into a more complete person by using my own newly acquired education, working with families to help them maintain their sense of self and team by teaching, counseling, perfecting of employer communities, and graduating eventually with my doctorate from a university to use as strength in the most productive environment possible. In sharing the information I have learned about perception, abnormal psychology, research, learning disabilities, forensics, and healing; I must not fail to recognize the forward steps that must be taken for further improvement and knowledge, gained by joys, hardships, and hope.

Examples of just a few experiences in my past are helping build businesses, researching, start with leadership homeschool support groups, set up with full participation in many community projects, taught others including students while homeschooling my three boys from K-12, written much and edited scores.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” James Neil Hollingworth  (1933-1996).

Resume

To request my current resume, please e-mail me at millsmtnacademy@yahoo.com.

Reflection

My academic tenure at Argosy felt like it encompassed a number of years when it was only 2. I learned a lot about my ability to set my mind to something and complete it no matter what it takes. I learned from the teachers that they aren’t always fair, because they are human. I have learned that some teachers that you have teach you; gives you more than1 years worth of information and experience in just 8 weeks. Mostly, I have learned about psychology. I can successfully be given a psychological issue and can employ skeptical inquiries and a scientific approach to solve the issue. I can take that issue and give it a research question. Then, by accessing a variety of applicable sources, I can respond to that question. I can use an article with research findings to supplement or prove my theory. If statistical solutions have already been found, I can add to my reports value. Using scholarly journals, applicable research design, statistical tools, software, style, and data analysis to research aspects of my work, I can write and speak to a group or an individual on how the psychology research concludes towards a valuable purpose. Ethics, diversity, and bias of any kind effect psychological and life issues. In psychology we take each individual an their circumstances seriously. Major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, applications, historical trends, principles, social, relationships, impact variables, and organizational issues are what it is all about. 

Table of Contents for Critical Thinking

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

Research SkillsCommunication Skills: Oral and WrittenEthics and Diversity AwarenessFoundations of PsychologyApplied PsychologyInterpersonal Effectiveness*The next several pages include work samples from completed school projects and organized accordingly to demonstrate each of the Programs mentioned in the Table of Contents above.

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and

Information LiteracyInformation Literacy

Opinion Paper: Evolution and Intelligent Design in the Classroom

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” Socrates

 Socrates believed in a learning environment not drawn to one conclusion. He was willing to place his life on the line to challenge people to think freely rather than to accept the social

norm. This way of thinking allows one to question different viewpoints and draw conclusions based on the body of truth currently available. Our origins could be under a similar dialectic

method of study, but not in our current public school system. American schools should be required to teach both well supported and popular theories about the origin of man which are

Evolution and Intelligent Design. 

"I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term Natural Selection, in order to mark its relation to man's power of selection. But the expression

often used by Mr. Herbert Spencer of the Survival of the Fittest is more accurate, and is sometimes equally convenient."

(…)The evolution of Homo Sapiens the study of natural selection, a case tried with the bias of

feared religion, formation of complex structures, patterns and complexity of life, and the shared faith that these two theories are possibly true; bring forth enough support to show the need for

both hypothesis to be available for the study of inquiring students. A learning environment should not be used to support only one theory or idea. If a great thinker, like Socrates, thought it

to be so important that he was willing to give up his freedom and his life to support free thinking; in our study of origins, shouldn’t we consider the importance of teaching Evolution

coupled with Intelligent Design in our public educational system?

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

What is MSO?

Research SkillsWhat is MSO?

Started by Martha Stewart Daily Work by Tough Employees

What is MSO?

Communication Skills: Oral and WrittenAt the Gates

Four philosophers were walking up to heaven’s gate. Once they got there, they said to Saint Peter, “it is our time to come inside.” Saint Peter picked up the phone and said, “God your four philosophers are here for you to go over their lives with them. What!? You still have Socrates with you? How much longer? Okay, I will have them wait.” Looking at the group he added, “God is still a bit busy. I am interested in talking to you while we wait if you do not mind.” The philosophers looked at each other and shook their heads. Peter said, “I’m sorry, I’ve got to ask this….why do you four think that you belong here and not the hot place? Haven’t you tried to stir up societies, change the way people think and mess around with what is right and wrong?” Peter turned to Tomas Hobbes and said, “aren’t you the guy that spent precious time in your life writing about a sea monster?”Hobbes replied “Yes, I did, but I was using it to show how to create a body politic; the Leviathan was a metaphor for my perfect government that preserved peace and prevented civil

war.”Peter said, “You also said that and I quote, “it is authority not wisdom that makes the law!”Hobbes said “after all my travels and viewing administrations that all people had some evil to them and if the government is allowed to rule the people they would be selfish and rule for a personal gain and therefore not to be trusted.” Saint Peter looked at Karl Popper and said, “wow, aren’t you the self-described agnostic?”Popper replied, “yes, and I respected the moral teachings of Judaism and Christianity, but I rejected the theory of empiricism, because I believe that knowledge cannot be gained only through the senses.”Peter responded, “Didn’t leading men of modern philosophy disregard the way in which you grouped the fields that they considered separate categories of epistemological, scientific,

and social?”Popper explained, “I invented ‘critical rationalism’ to describe my philosophical beliefs in one well-reasoned approach and it is difficult to break down so I am misunderstood many times. Up until 1994, I always answered questions about my philosophy and was able to answer the questions well. ” Saint Peters looked at Bernard Mayo and said, “you promoted people in following a faulty group called role models, and don’t you remember how imperfect man is?”Mayo said, “I only promoted them in the sense of providing the individual with specific character traits that can be modeled and used to create better character within themselves. ”Peter added, “You also believed that doing the right thing wasn’t the answer to building moral character – what was with that?” Mayo stated, “I felt that being a person who is brave, or patient, or lenient is what makes better moral character rather than doing only the actions of those who are already great. ” Saint Peter looked long and hard at David Hume and said, “the church thought that you were an atheist, why would you be here? Hume replied, “The church, and the way it acted at the time, was only why I was labeled that way, I argued notably for the theories of intelligent design, miracles, free will, determinism, responsibility, practical reason, self, and causation to name just a few. ”Peter said, “Then, how about your new philosophical discovery?”Hume smiled, “Sorry, only God understands what all that was about!” All were quiet, awaiting and admiring the view within the gates. Finally, Peter said “okay, if I may ask you all one more thing. “If each of you could say one thing that stands out in your life what would you each say?”Hobbes said (quote), “The disembodied spirit is immortal; there is nothing of it that can grow old or die. But the embodied spirit sees death on the horizon as soon as its day dawns. ” Then, Popper spoke up (quote), “Our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite.” Mayo nodded his head listening to Popper, and then slowly started (quote) "A person's character” (he pauses) “is not merely a list of dispositions; it has the organic unity of something that is more than the sum of its parts."  Hume had his hand on his chin and smiled (quote) “The whole frame of nature bespeaks an intelligent author” and with that, on key, the gate pops open and the group heads up the green path towards the beautiful scene ahead.

Ethics and Diversity Awareness

Maria’s Native American Concernis

Dwane’s Native American Concern

In the given case, where Maria’s has a Native American student named Dwane, who is negatively affected by the class study of the support of endangered species, we will analyze the situation. The animal in questions is the polar bear. We have several aspects effecting what is happening to Dwane during his learning experience. He is obviously a bright student, already involved in his culture and the culture that he is attending school with. He has an understanding upon the relationship that the endangered species work with in his culture and that it is likely to have impact on his people’s lives. He realizes by now that he wouldn’t starve, since he eats at school and knows there are other foods available to his family. He is thinking about the people of his culture that stick completely with their Native American traditions and views and how the forthcoming endangered species project and other will affect the survival of groups of Native American people.

(…)

It also could cause his family trouble by stress factors and accountability to their elders. In addition, he knows how heavy the cultural impact would be on his culture in keeping the polar bears on the endangered species list, but he still works through the project because other animals are possibly sacred animals and/or he sees how his culture may need to begin steering for another way of life so the prized animals do not go on to extinction. This would still be a lot for a child to contemplate without causing true problems in the class and he seems to be avoiding that. Most Native Americans cultures shows a lot of elder’s respect and he may be using that to keep from arguing with the teacher or even bringing it up verbally. It may have finally made him upset once he ended up in the one group that he completely disagreed with and Maria was hit with something she must think through and even use for the class to understand the negative aspects of animals on the endangered species list.

Foundations of Psychology

Childhood and Adolescence Observations

The child that I am observing is 7-10 years old, I believe. He is shorter than his teenage brother, taller than his young sister, but is old enough to opt-out of even being asked to sit in the bumper seat of the cart. He is wide-eyed and remaining occupied by everything at the store entrance. He has dark hair that has been cut military style, and is dressed nicely in jeans with slightly warn knees and a coat (a T-shirt hidden under his coat). The boy is medium build (no longer skinny like his sister), but carries an adult acting dignity as he is with his family. He stays with his parents obediently, but gets distracted a couple times by items that they pass while shopping. He helps his Mom get the items she needs and puts them in the cart, while his dad pushes the cart with the baby in it. He looks at everything in the store as they pass through and is attentive to his mom’s needs, when she (I am pretty sure it is his Mom) asks him questions he answers, and is very interested in helping make the decisions of what to purchase even though he is busy with sights that he sees on his own.

(…)

In our textbook, the authors make a few statements that I believe to have hit the nail on the head. They talk about a long history of worrying about how adolescents will “turn out.” Many opinions are formed from troubled teens, TV-viewed teens, current perceptions of adult memories of their own youth, and G. Stanley Hall (1904) proposal of a “storm-and-stress” view that adolescence is a turbulent time charged with conflict and mood swings. Daniel Offer and his colleagues (1988) have more recently studied the self-images of adolescents in many other countries and at least 73 percent of the adolescents displayed a healthy self-image. There are so many activities that can be used to encourage character in our youth; service learning (Santrock, 2009, p. 378), volunteerism (Santrock, 2009, p. 365), youth community services, and family-life education (Santrock, 2009, p. 364) are just a few skills that are not encouraged enough in the public school realm. “Adolescents need access to a range of legitimate opportunities and to long-term support from adults who deeply care about them” (Santrock, 2009, p. 355).

Applied PsychologyGifted ADHD Structured Learning

Research Methods

In our challenging age of “no child left behind” (NCLB) education that was initiated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (U. S. Department of Education, 2010), the American Public Educational System is receiving pressure to present quality academics with their quantity of student’s passing advancement that no longer focuses on giving the premium education American student’s need; just a minimal approach. Many fear that students with learning disabilities and giftedness will be put by the sidelines to keep the remedial approach looking good in the limelight (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2005). This research study and proposal counteracts the ability to ignore the need for special education for gifted attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children. The research being presented will answer the question; “Do gifted ADHD students who experience a tailored learning program have better individualized test score results than gifted ADHD students who do not experience a tailored learning program?”

(…)

The research being presented will answer the question and may add to the betterment of students that are affected by it; “Do gifted ADHD students who experience a tailored learning program have better individualized test score results than gifted ADHD students who do not experience a tailored learning program?” This research has a null hypothesis that will be disproven; Gifted ADHD students with individualized learning programs do not significantly do better on test scores as measured with their state’s standard age appropriate test (using the example for California) Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The research hypothesis alterative is what could help change the way some children will learn; gifted ADHD students with individualized learning programs do significantly do better on test scores as measured with their state’s standard age appropriate test (using the example for California) STAR and SAT. This will also be the method used to prove the success of utilizing a specialized program plan for gifted ADHD students and comparing it to a gifted ADHD student placed in a school’s traditional or standard classroom environment without special instruction. The lecture states that researchers need to demonstrate that their results did not occur by chance. This is the entire reason research is performed for any study using all aspects of our proposed research and its necessary guidelines (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister, 2009).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said “While the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty.  You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will be up to, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to.  Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant.  So says the statistician” (The Quote Garden, 2010).

Interpersonal EffectivenessCase Study: A New Culture at SAP

Human Resource ManagementHasso Plattner has been a main company player since the business first started and is the current co-CEO of the software giant SAP. Because of his change of heart, he became one of the main initiators that finally helped the German-based company go forward with the needed change and interconnecting with other companies. This led to the highly controversial global process that took place in a German company. He shares with everyone how he was slow at first wanting to initiate change within the company. Originally, about two-thirds of its managers were German with the headquarters in Walldorf, Germany. The company’s leaders hoped SAP could become more agile and creative by bringing in a more diverse group of employees and sharing responsibility. Using an unusual approach, SAP decided to introduce change from the top down including making English its official language even at headquarters. It hired half the top managers from foreign countries and placed product development of 8 centers around the world under the leadership of Shai Agassi with an office in Palo Alto, California. A few of the pressing objectives for the globalized SAP was to develop and implement its software much faster than its current process of taking at least a year and to interconnect the Internet into their software. The new global development worked as German programmers focused on the coding associated with the software’s main tasks, American employees more often addressed programming that affects the user’s experience, and Indian programmers worked on updating and fixing the code in older programs. The changes frightened many of the German employees, who worried they would lose their jobs and the company would lose its reputation for quality.

(…)HRM functions that were affected by the changes described in this case during hiring employees. They needed to avoid bringing aboard non-globalized personnel, people who did not speak English, and people who would not support the new attitudes the company was trying to set. As an HR consultant that was called in to advise the leadership at SAP, this author suggests a few ways the company can overcome cultural barriers that are affecting some efforts to become more creative and agile. Trying out the exposure of improper or unacceptable attitudes of ethnicity by using the e-learning process that talks about other cultures and people. This introduces old employees with new input and the world around them. The company needs to produce a clear mission statement to all employees new and old so everyone can share the company policies and goals. Allowing the German employees to offer advice and talk about their frustration with human resources gives the HR people the ability to handle the problems discussed by employees with concerns. Sharing the goals and concerns openly within the company may just be the best method for keeping any hostility at bay, until a better understanding and example of what the new culture will be like shows itself within the company (Argosy Online, 2011, Overview, p.1; Baker & Ante, 2000; Intercultural Communication, 2011).

My Future in Learning

My life has been about learning from people’s past experiences and learning will always exist in my future. My faith, family, education, career, research, and experiences are all about education.

After attending grade school, I worked and received my AA degree. In my early career, everything I did was about learning in the newly developed computer field. When my own family was formed, my homeschooling adventure began with my three sons. Upon my youngest son’s graduation, I pursued my BA in Psychology. Looking at all this, it will forever be considered just another phase of the lifelong learning process. What? Dr. Mills is enticing. What will I learn next! I am ready and will always say; what’s my next adventure!

What I am really interested in is meeting you!

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