EEC

For many students at Emmanuel those initials caused heart palpitations. Not her; anybody but her! If you don't know, I am referring to Dr. Edna Earl Christmas, professor and terrorizer of Emmanuel students pursuing an education degree. Her tests were unbelievable, and her papers were even worse.
I ended up with Edna Earl three times during my undergraduate studies; First time I had her for Human Growth and Development, and I got my first "C" in college. The following year I had her for Ed Psych. I remember a time I spent four hours in Dr. Christmas' office revising a paper she had returned to me for this class. Four hours, and I ended up with a B, I think. A "B"! And I worked my heart out! For the course I ended up with a "B" also. Finally, during my student teaching, I had her for Behavior Management. Along with a 50 page paper, I had to attend lectures on student behavior, etcetera. For that class, I made an "A". I also scored really high on my Praxis II test because of her attention to detail (we had to read the entire book pretty much, and know everything about it!).
So why am I bringing up Edna Earl? Because she pushed me harder than very few ever had. She made me question my values, beliefs, and educational philosophy. She made me so uncomfortable, that at times I wanted to scream! She did not accept excuses, but neither did she lack compassion. She was very logical and analytical. She examined all pieces of evidence very objectively, and did not play favorites...and I loved her for it.
Dr. CHristmas and I got really close over the three years I studied under her (for my 25th birthday,she and the rest of my behavior management group, even threw me a party), and I will always have fond memories of her of her because she took a little girl and made her question the world. Hats off to you Dr. Christmas! And thanks!