Catherine O'Conor
| Catherine O'Conor | |
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Courses Taught
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BiographyBorn in Ohio I attended private schools there and in Connecticut. After two years of college I entered an education based religious order for five years, left, finished my Bachelors degree and taught elementary/middle school and worked on a Child Study Team in New Jersey for three years. Twelve years later having married, given birth to three children, divorced, I returned to school for a Master’s in Counseling. Following supervision and time at a Community Mental Health center I went into Private Practice in 1980 as a National Board Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. My reputation grew as an educator of hospital and facility/agency staff members and volunteers and I was asked by a colleague to substitute for her in several classes at BCCC. The following January I was asked to take a Saturday morning class in sociology. Thus began my career at Bucks. The next year I was asked to join the Social and Behavioral Department as a part time faculty member and two years later to take over the Social Services Program as Coordinator. In 2000 after ten very fulfilling years I thought I retired. However Bucks continued to haunt me even on Cape Cod and in January 2001 I returned to teach Online from the Cape.I have continued to do so and enjoy the ongoing contact with students and faculty. I return to Bucks in August and January a week before Orientation each semester to attend faculty meetings, maintain contacts and meet with students. I have not regretted one minute of it and hope to continue to teach for Bucks County Community College for many years to come. | |
Shared ResourcesCommunication is the cornerstone of good teaching. Even though I am 350 miles away I maintain communication with my students through “online classes” in chat rooms, bulletin board discussions and question/answer places on the discussion boards and through email. I am also available for one-on-one times in a chat room if it is requested by a student-like an office hour. My students in online courses fulfill the same requirements as did the students in my F2F courses and have weekly assignments. Few undergraduate students are sufficiently self- disciplined to completely self pace, I have discovered. I also emphasize reading, critical thinking and writing, because I believe strongly that these skills are to be developed more fully during a college career.
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