Visiongtomlingtomlin212008-05-22T22:56:00Z2008-05-22T22:56:00Z15182953utm246346511.0000As a lecturer, I teach live and online courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in the area of Special Education. I fully embrace the unique 21st Century learning community that is conducive to my educational needs. I have a family, work full time and working on a doctoral degree in Education. Yet, I am discipline and willing to do what it takes to fulfill the vision hastening my intellect. Patience and assisting others comes natural. I grew up in low income family where we relied on each other for support. As an adult, I have been able to live a middle class lifestyle providing my children with opportunities that were my fantasies. My success has come through continued education and opportunity and I want to develop a social change program to allow more children to be able to share in this prosperity. I am currently enrolled with Walden University where I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Special Education. Prior to enrolling with Walden University, I conducted research for nearly two months comparing online and live doctoral programs in the area of Special Education. I am employed as a lecturer at The University of Tennessee at Martin where I have completed a Master of Science Degree in Advanced Secondary Education. I have received an endorsement in Special Education and I have completed the coursework in Administration and Supervision. I have a passion and determination to develop every child to his/her fullest potential. This quality has been recognized by my professors and colleagues alike. For my graduate research project, my husband and I established a summer work program for students who were rising high school seniors receiving special education services. The program was embraced by a major corporation in a midsize city. Developing this project allowed me to apply proven research. Every student who participated in the summer work program needed to complete at least one gateway exam to graduate high school with a regular diploma. I am entering the second year as a lecturer and realize that I LOVE it! I have also discovered that I am a “career” learner who believes in applying what I have learned. The research project that I implemented in graduate school afforded me the opportunity to see how the acceptances of students with disabilities significantly impact their learning when they returned to the classroom for their senior year of school. The graduate research project opened the door. I believe as I embrace the goals of Walden University, I will be able to walk through the door to develop a program that will positively revolutionize an entire race of people. The African American family is diminishing. More and more children are being raised in the absence of positive African American males in the home. I strongly believe this is impacting the ecological development of African American males. Furthermore, I believe there could possibly be a link between the home environment and overwhelming number of African American males receiving special education services and those who have low educational interest and performance. Through research, I believe I will also be able to collect data, develop a hypothesis, conduct research and implement a program that will prove African American males are being misdiagnosed and unfairly labeled with disabilities. Moreover, I am confident I will be able to provide a social change solution that will transform the African American race.