If you happen to be passing room 325 at Southern Regional Technical College in Moultrie this time of year, you are likely to hear a boisterous mixture of sounds seeping around the closed classroom door: A passionately-raised voice, an insistently dinging bell, and the occasional rumble of laughter, all punctuated by the emphatic pounding of a fist on a lectern. Don’t be alarmed, it’s just Mr. Young teaching his Psychology 1101 students about Ivan Pavlov’s famous research on conditioned responses of dogs.
Michael Young has been teaching psychology within the Technical College System of Georgia for 19 years now, and the way he speaks about his students is a testament to his love and appreciation for his chosen profession. “First and foremost are the students that I have the good fortune to interact with in my classes. Not only do I think the material I teach in psychology can totally change their view of the world and their place in it, but I have the opportunity to encourage someone every day; to exalt those that excel."
If you are surprised to read that SRTC offers Psychology courses here on campus, you likely haven't visited the school in a few years. The former Moultrie Technical College opened its doors in 1964 as a Vo-Tech school, but over the decades - and especially after the merger which joined Moultrie Tech with Southwest Georgia Technical College - the school has grown tremendously. Southern Regional Technical College now offers over 148 degree, diploma, and certificate programs on seven campuses that are designed to get students quickly into their desired careers, as well as 28 general education (core) courses that transfer to University System of Georgia institutions and to 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia.
As a believer in the value of a rigorous education, Mr. Young’s classes at SRTC are not known for being easy, but most of his students agree that it is a rewarding experience. On the topic of challenging students through teaching at STRC, he says, “At our college, we facilitate in the classroom, create understanding, motivate, provide pathways to success, and are there to help. Learning, though, is an active process. I often tell my students that I wish I could just pour knowledge directly onto their brains, but they must take responsibility to read (repeatedly if necessary), take notes, process, study, question, and actively seek understanding. Their success is truly in their hands and related directly to the effort they put into the educational processes.”
The results from Young’s classes are remarkable. Frequently, former students seek him out to tell him of their success in higher education as well as careers that stemmed from their experiences at SRTC, including a former student who recently stopped him to tell him that she had completed her Master’s degree in Psychology, and was pursuing her Doctorate. He takes his responsibility to students who are starting on their academic journey very seriously, as he believes that, “teachers at SRTC make a measurable impact on the lives of most of our students. The difference we can make in their lives can be critical to their life success. We include critical thinking as a component of instruction in Psychology. That one key, if successfully taught, can open a multitude of doors for students. Going from a person that moves through life accepting what they are told, to becoming a seeker of truth, evidence and fact on which to base their life decisions can be life-changing.”
For more information on the educational opportunities at SRTC, visit us online at http://southernregional.edu, or call us at 888-205-3449. Summer semester begins May 18th, enroll today!