Name of your website?EducationHope.com
Your name?
CEO and President D.A. Fulton
Your Location (city, etc)
Central Islip
President Fulton, as a leader of the community, what do you think is the solution?
As leaders of the community, we must promote positive self-esteem in America’s children. Now more than ever, there needs to be greater support given by everyone to help these students. - D.A. Fulton
What inspired you to launch your own website?
The younger generation is struggling to find their inner love because they are being misguided. I might take a lot of heat for saying this, but there is a major problem in this country with how we are preparing today's young adults for their future career opportunities. The problem is that we are letting the machines of popular culture create the road map for how these young men and women could possibly be successful in life. All across the country, there are youths who are imitating these manufactured and excessively glamorized images and lifestyles on the television and the Internet. To this generation of young adults, that is their only route to finding themselves and/or finding happiness. Nothing is left to the heart and soul anymore. People do not dream about their endless opportunities because they are not aware of them to begin with. We must fight to get them out of that trap. - D.A. Fulton
Would you be as successful as you are today if you didn't experience pitfalls?
I cannot imagine where I would be in life if it were not for all of my experiences. I would be nothing because learning from my experiences is why I am who I am. The same thing applies to you also. At the edge of ignorance begins the path for truth, knowledge, and wisdom. Some may take longer to find that path, but hopefully we all find our way onto it. Life is a journey to the truth and we must to take it until we reach our destination. The truth can only be discovered through learning, and to live is to learn. Even though I am still young, I can say that I have been fortunate enough to learn a great deal from the mistakes that I have made, and from the mistakes that I have seen others make. In order to cope with the challenges of the future, one must understand the past as well as the present. From this book, I hope we gain a better understanding of ourselves as well as the decisions that we have made. It is critical that we become further prepared for the journey that awaits us all. - D.A. Fulton
D.A. Fulton, what do you think about the educational system in this country?
The educational system plays a vital role in developing young students who will need to be prepared for what awaits them next in their lives. Besides myself, there are millions of effective teachers, counselors, and enthusiasts within this country who are advocates of quality education. It is important that we realize this. An individual who receives a strong and effective education has many advantages when compared to an individual who has received little to no education at all. An effective education can potentially lead to access and upward mobility in society. But does it lead to happiness? Should it lead to happiness? As an advocate for educational leadership who is concerned about preparing my students for the world, I think that education and happiness must coexist. I agree with the statement, “Education is the root to the flower called happiness,” because if education is based upon knowledge, language, and reality, how else would an individual be able to identify with “happiness” unless they were some how educated? - D.A. Fulton
Did you ever make any mistakes while growing up?
While working on my Masters of Arts in Teaching English, I was faced with the likelihood of being ejected from the program at Stony Brook University. I was accused of plagiarizing a ten-page paper that was due at the end of the semester. During the third week of May, while checking my email, I received a letter from one of the literature professors at the university. The letter opened up with the professor stating that there were “serious problems” in the final paper that I had submitted. The professor was correct. In the email, the professor took several excerpts from my paper and compared them to an article that had similar ideas. I sensed anger and disappointment in my professor’s writing and that was very discomforting. At the young age of 23, and with only one year left to earning my Masters degree, I unknowingly made the biggest mistake in my academic career. - D.A. Fulton
How does that past experience shape D.A. Fulton today?
As a teacher, I will never put myself in a position where I will threaten a student’s academic future. Instead, I will try to do everything I can to promote academic success for that student. If a student makes a mistake and produces a plagiarized piece of work, I would never try to get that student expelled. The student might not even understand the complete definition of plagiarism. I was 23 years old when I discovered it myself. As an effective teacher, I would explain to the student what they did wrong so they can learn from their mistakes and become successful. I do not think that I could live with myself if I decided to put that student’s academic career and life in jeopardy. In the end, that situation was a great life-learning experience because it will help me become the greatest English teacher that I can possibly be. - D.A. Fulton
Since you live in New York, what is your opinion of teachers who work in urban schools?
I believe that it is a privilege to have the opportunity to teach students, regardless of where the school is located. An urban school is a wonderful place to begin work as a teacher. I would encourage someone who considers accepting a job there to not feel pressured by the high-stakes assessment issues that many urban schools are facing.- D.A. Fulton
How do you feel about the statements that suggest that rap music or rock music is hurting America's kids?
We must take responsibility for our own actions and not blame the media’s influence. If American’s continue to use the media as a scapegoat for their own decisions, there will never be change. - D.A. Fulton
Did you always live in Long Island, New York?
I spent the first six and a half years of my life living in Irvington, New Jersey and through that came many experiences from which I learned from.
D.A. Fulton you are a bright young man. How do you view going to work everyday?
Early on in my college career, I read a book that said that you would never have to work a day in your life if you found something that you love. I guess that is why I have never viewed the field of education as “work.” I would rather call it a hobby than a job because a hobby is something that you have a deep passion for. - D.A. Fulton
What do you want to say to students who are reading this?
Follow your dreams because you never know where they might take you. When you follow your dreams, you create new dreams that you never imagined before. - D.A. Fulton
Can you explain further?
Many people are unhappy because they do not know what their purpose in life is. Instead of feeling like confident people who have their plans set in stone, they feel like a bunch of wanderers stuck in a boat, lost in the middle of the ocean. These are the men and women who decided not to follow their dreams. - D.A. Fulton
Briefly, what is your view of America's children?
America’s children are growing up in a world much more complex than those before them. We must be there to support them so they can become successful. - D.A. Fulton
What should all teachers be aiming for?
Even though happiness is rarely mentioned as an aim in education, I believe that it is an aim for all effective teachers and professors, including pre-service teachers. - D.A. Fulton
Who is D.A. Fulton?
I am the CEO of EducationHope.com and the author of two acclaimed audio books titled, Survival: Making the Most out of Life and Effective Education: A Guide to Success. Through web-based technologies, we are trying to promote the spirit and growth of the learning community. I live in Long Island, New York.
What is your website address?
EducationHope.com
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