For Better or For Worse

Like so many have before you, meet the Pattersons.  They're your typical middle class Canadian family.  Except they're part of a comic strip that ran for thirty years.  Surely you've seen them somewhere in your newspaper over the years.

Creator Lynn Johnston chronicles the lives of Elly and John Patterson, parents to Michael, Elizabeth, and April.  Unlike most comic strips, "For Better of For Worse" has characters who age in real time--even the family's English sheepdog, Farley.

The strip also leaves the one-line gags to strips like "Garfield" and "Family Circus" in favor of more in depth story lines that can span months or even a year.  References are made to events that occur in other story lines, and the reader, once interested, begins to care about the characters.  It's been published and I've been reading it every day (it's now over, however) ever since I can remember.

Another unique aspect of the strip is that it dealt with very topical and sometimes controversial issues, trying to relate them to its readers.  The strip's title is taken from a line in the Anglican Book of Prayer regarding marriage and service.  The strip has been controversial at times, and has dealt with issues affecting many families and people.

Some major story lines are as follows:


                                                                   Farley's Death

This story line was by far the most memorable because it was so sad and unexpected.  Johnston said she noticed the strip had run for thirteen years, and since the Pattersons had Farley from when he was a puppy.  She knew something had to be done or else the strip wouldn't be true to itself.  Johnston floated the idea by "Peanuts" creator Charles Schultz.

If you kill that poor dog, he told her, Snoopy will be killed off by me first, and no one will read your silly strip.  She told him she'd rethink the issue and he was glad.  However, she had decided to go through with it, so she didn't tell Schultz about her decision.  Comics are due 6-8 weeks in advance, so she sent in the manuscripts and forgot about it.

That is, until she received an outpouring of mail and correspondences from some of the millions of Americans and Canadians who read the strip with great sadness.  April had fallen into a swollen stream, and Farley jumped in to rescue her as his last act of bravery.

Charles Schultz immediately called Johnston and asked her why she did it.  He also blamed "that stupid little girl" for getting Farley killed.  The poor dog's heart gave out, and there was nothing anyone could do, unfortunately.  However, the strip did him justice later and allowed his spirit to live on, literally, every now and again.

Elizabeth's Assault

Elizabeth was being sexually harassed at work.  It started off harmless enough, and she tried to shrug it off.  But it escalated, culminating in her getting assaulted.  However, she is saved by her brother's gay best friend (another story line Johnston did, which attracted her both hate mail and death threats).  Elizabeth presses charges and Howard is put on trial and convicted.  

The Patterson's bully even got his own story line.  Chasing after April on his bicycle, he closes in as she tries to navigate away from him...and pow!  

However, April does the right thing and calls 911, and he is taken to the hospital badly bruised and with broken bones.  Other story lines include Elly trying to go back into the workforce despite the objections of her friends, Farley and another dog producing a litter, and the biggest story line it ever did, which was the coming out story of Michael's best friend, Lawrence.  This story line earned Johnston hate mail and death threats.

This comic strip is excellent as it was very realistic and did not put on airs.  It dealt with issues normal people face every day, and it was both funny, tragic, heartwarming, and cathartic.  I strongly encourage you to check it out.  It has reset and we now are following the story line of Michael flying on an airplane by himself for the first time to see his grandparents in Vancouver.  I hope if you do check it out, you enjoy it as much as I do.  

Student Success and Design for All

For the class I am taking, entitled "Instructional Design," we have to write a weekly blog on the readings.  This is my last blog from the class, and it generated the most interest among the faculty I'm taking the class with across our three campuses.  I didn't write in all the comments, but enjoy it!

Thanks also to my parents for naming me John with the nickname Jack, as it continues to baffle and be hit or miss in terms of what people call me.

Posted by John Bradley at Friday, July 19, 2013 11:04:05 AM EDT

I've chosen to focus on universal design through the lens of A.D.A. accommodations and a true story.
The following conversation took place last semester when I was working in the Testing Center at the Wilmington campus.

Me: "Well, S, I know you scheduled to take your test right now, but I don't see anything from your instructor."

S: "Well, today's really the only day I can take it. I told B a couple of times. I thought B would have sent it by now."

Me: "Hey, it's not a problem. Let me call B and see if I can get B to send or bring up a copy. It's only 8:20, so your instructor might not be in class yet."

Me: "Yes, hello? Instructor B? This is the testing center. I have a student here who is scheduled to take an exam for you, but I don't have a copy. Could you please bring one up or email it to us?"

B (grumbling): "Is it S by any chance? Never mind, of course it is. Who else would it be taking a test up there for me? Ugh. I'll be right up." Slam went the phone on the other end.

Me: "B will be up soon, S."
Five minutes later, as I saw B approach the door, I walked out to greet B so B didn't have to come to the back office and S could get the test started right away.

B (shoves the test at me; two other students had walked in behind B, presumably scheduled to take tests at 8:30): "Here."

Me: "Thanks, I appreciate it."

B: "Just so we're clear, this is really inconvenient for me."

Me: "What is?"

B (slightly more agitated): "Having to do this for S every time we have a test. I mean, c'mon. There's nothing wrong with S taking it in class. I swear S does it just to be difficult."

Me (calmly smiling despite my red-hot ears): "You know that S needs a distraction free environment. Thank you for the test."

B (very annoyed at this point): "Distraction free? Oh, why? Because S has a disability? Right. S looks perfectly fine to me."

Me: "Why? Because it's the law, Instructor B. You know that, right?"

B (rolling eyes): "Right. Whatever." B left.

I couldn't believe my ears. B had outed a student with a disability in front of two fellow students. I doubt they cared about anything other than the tests they had to take, but I felt really bad for S, who looked shaken. I apologized, S took the test from me in silence, and sat down.
When I was doing the readings this week, I thought about this interaction I had last year with an instructor who clearly thought that all aspects of their course were easily completed by everyone in the same environment regardless of any other external factors. This instructor was not designing universally.

All courses (parts and design) should be accessible for students at Delaware Tech to take. That includes not only accessibility to the material but also the physical space of the classroom. Can wheelchairs be accommodated safely? Is there a seat for the scribe or interpreter next to a student who requires one, and is it in a reasonable location?

One of the design considerations we have discussed in this course is what type and how many assessments to have. The course in my vignette required several summative assessments. As you all know, via the emails and ADA accommodations for students we receive every semester, not everyone can take summative assessments in class. We need to abide by their accommodations and make sure that we do what we can to enforce both school policy and the law.
In my experience here, there are students who have different types of disabilities, and as teachers we need to make sure our students have the tools to take and ideally succeed in the course that we have.

We are fortunate to have Victoria Chang to help us meet special needs of students, but it is still our responsibility to make sure we do what we can on our end to help these students succeed.
This includes not only honoring their accommodations but also educating our students about the services the school offers. To get accommodations, students need to advocate for themselves.

 I referred two students the services of Victoria Chang because these students (in different classes) told me they had test anxiety. I explained that we had an office to help students with disabilities, provided they could advocate for themselves. In both cases I was emailed ADA accommodations after they met with Victoria. The students had no idea we had an office to help them in this way.
That being said, the other thing I think we need to take into account with regard to universal design of classes is that within the course ("The First Sixty Minutes" from CCIT is something that should be incorporated) students should be made aware of such services, including the DVR tutoring we have that is free for students with special needs.

Often times as instructors we get caught up trying to teach everything we need to in our course but we fail to build in any time the first day or the first couple of classes to educate students in terms of what student services that are here to help those who need it. But most importantly, we need to build our courses so that anyone, student or not, can understand them and access what they need to complete the course.

• Cheryl Horst said…

  Friday, July 19, 2013 3:54:10 PM EDT
  Hi John,
  
  I happily accommodate any student who has a true documented need for private testing. It's a little bit of a hike over to the testing center but it's good exercise! Perhaps the instructor you mentioned feels that student wants "extra" time to study if the exam is given at a later time... (this is like a make-up exam which is another topic of discussion!) I had a student this past semester who wore earplugs during exams to keep out ambient noise. The walls between classrooms are thin too and students can hear the class next door. I've had to tell the next door instructor many times that we were taking an exam. Many students aren't quite so distracted, but to the student in need of complete quite it is a big distraction.
  
  We are always hearing that the faculty is here for student success. Guess some folks didn't get that memo,

• Jennifer Robelen said…

  Friday, July 19, 2013 11:10:02 PM EDT
  John,
  
  I've not heard of the DVR tutoring. Could you tell me more about it please?
  
  Thanks,
  Jen

• Lisa Ruschman said…

  Monday, July 22, 2013 9:44:43 AM EDT
  Hi Jack,
  
  B is lucky that he still has a job. If a student with a diagnosed disability, S could easily have sued and won for that violation...
  
  Teaching is a wonderful job and it has many benefits, its "convenience" typically being one of them. One of the responsibilities currently facing us is accomodating the needs of people with disabilities. Would any of us roll our eyes at a blind student who can't read our tests or a paralyzed student for not walking to the board when we want them to? Of course not! We have students who have other disabilities that are not easily seen by the untrained eye. That does not make them any less disabled. Teachers need to quit with the judging and go about the business of teaching.
  
  This just made me sick.