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INTERVIEW WITH DR. JOHN SHELDON

PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR AT FCC

Charles Herrmann

n the back wall of Dr. John Sheldon’s office are two framed pictures of the

Frederick Community College campus: one from years ago when the

campus consisted of only the A, B, and C buildings, Sweadner Hall, and the

gym, and one featuring the modern campus we know today. Dr. Sheldon feels

as though it was “another lifetime ago” since he began as an instructor.

A graduate of Edinboro University and Penn State University, Dr. Sheldon

had only initially planned to teach psychology at FCC for three years, and

then move on to something new. Much to his own surprise, he is still teaching

general psychology, adolescent psychology, and social psychology at FCC with

a purpose now in 2018.

For him, teaching isn’t just about conveying the material and helping

students simply enter a career; it’s about making an impact on the lives of the

students he spends all those class periods with. His passion for the job, on both

a professional and personal level, and desire to inspire others is what separates

him from the pack.

While many things have changed at FCC over the years, Dr. Sheldon more

than accepted the challenge of adapting and being the best teacher he can

possibly be.

It has been our privilege at the

Tuscarora Review

to sit down and get to know

not just Dr. John Sheldon “the professor” but Dr. John Sheldon the person.

Tuscarora Review: What initially drew you to teaching in this discipline?

Dr. Sheldon:

Probably my first psychology course. When I set foot on a

college campus, I knew that I was going to spend my life on a college campus.

Photo of Dr. Sheldon by Lisa Sheirer

I don’t know what it was about it, but I just felt at home. When I took my first

psychology course, I identified with the instructor immediately, and for

some reason, I knew that was eventually what I wanted to do. From there, I

continued to pursue this subject, and I was lucky enough to be able to do so.

It’s very difficult these days to become trained in a particular discipline and

then go find a job in that field. You have to be very focused to have that happen.

I was one of the lucky ones, and now, here I am.

Tuscarora Review: Did you ever practice psychology or have you always

been a teacher?

Dr. Sheldon:

When I was in graduate school, they made you practice some. I

knew just based on that experience that I didn’t want to do it full time. I wasn’t

cut out for it; I’m impatient. When you’re dealing with people, and you’re in

that kind of a setting, you have to be very patient and wait for them to get to the

point where you know they should be mentally. To me, that was very frustrat-

ing. I just wanted to say, “Here: go from here, do this, do that, just get it done.

What’s the problem?”

I really wasn’t cut out for it temperamentally, and it’s a burnout kind of an

occupation. You need to be a special kind of person who likes to talk to people

about their problems day in and day out. I knew that wasn’t for me. I knew I

wanted to teach, and I knew that being a therapist wasn’t going to be for me.

Tuscarora Review: What are the inherent challenges that come with teach-

ing in this area given that science constantly progresses andwe’ve learned

more andmore about the human brain?

Dr. Sheldon:

Well, I think that’s the big challenge. Keeping on top of what we

are learning, but somehow trying to condense the most important aspects of

that into a course and making it manageable for students at this level.

And sometimes, when I’m in a classroom, I’ll talk about things, or I’ll say

things that are beyond the understanding of lower level psychology students.

I have to catch myself and help define and clarify what a certain termmeans

because students at this level are just beginning their careers. I think that’s

always a challenge. You have to remember who you’re talking to, where they’re

at, and to be able to appeal to students of all abilities at a community college.

Tuscarora Review: To your point about that challenge, is there something

about teaching at a community college that has made youwant to stay and

not move on to a higher level?

Dr. Sheldon:

Yes, that’s a good question. When I finished up my doctoral

program, part of the programwas to do an internship. While I was still in it,

I took a course on community college and the community college student, and

it appealed to me right away.

I ended up doing my internship at a community college, and my faculty men-

tors in the programwere not happy with me when I decided to do that. They

wanted me to go to a university, and I said that I didn’t want to do that because

of two things: