Darlene Haffner Hoffman, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Education

Each year, as the days grow shorter and the sun's rays strike the earth more obliquely, there comes a cool, cloudy day when I say to myself as I walk out my door, "It's a plaid dress day. School will start soon!" I feel compelled to go shopping for a bright red plaid dress with a white collar, like the dress my mother always bought me for the first day of school, a big yellow and green box of Crayolas, a three-ring binder with folders for each class, shiny new pencils and pens, and a green rubber eraser. Delighted with the clean white pages of my notebook, as yet unmarred by class notes, and my uncluttered, empty appointment book, I begin each new year, exhilarated and renewed--yet, fully aware that the notebook page will soon be full of new learning and the appointment book will be full of challenging commitments.

Most likely, my affection for the rhythm and rituals of the beginning of the academic year has provided the impetus for me to become a university professor. As a teacher of teachers, I feel a part of the ongoing cycle of learning, and I can continue to strive to create positive environments in which students will grow and learn and to instill in my future teachers a desire to create classrooms in which their students will feel excitement about their own learning. 

My twenty-one years as a faculty member in the Education Department at Millikin University have taken me in many directions as a learner and a teacher. My web page will be useful to students in understanding course requirements. Others may be more interested in the workshops and in-service presentations which I conduct and/or areas of research in which I am involved. 

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How to contact Darlene Hoffman Office:   Shilling Hall, 208B Office Hours:   2:00 - 2:50 MWF; 2:00 - 4:00 T Office phone:   424-6244 Home phone:   217-762-8677 E-mail: dhoffman@mail.millikin.edu