Justin Yates - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Justin Yates

To Jack and Lana-this would not have been possible without you. v Acknowledgements When I was a c... more To Jack and Lana-this would not have been possible without you. v Acknowledgements When I was a child, my go-to answers for "what I wanted to be when I grew up" were 1) baseball player, 2) a pastor, or 3) a doctor. The path I took to get here had many twists and turns, and fortunately, 8-year-old me wasn't too specific about what kind of doctor, so I can honestly say I am fulfilling a lifelong dream with this PhD. But a person cannot achieve such an honor on their own. I was lucky enough to attend the University of Oklahoma, a school that I truly love. My fellow students and professors reaffirmed this love weekly through their support, humor, kindness, and commiseration. I would like to thank Dr. Crag Hill, and Dr. Neil Houser for not only teaching me meaningful and relevant material in class, but also showing me how to be an engaging and dynamic teacher in the process. I am honored to have you, along with Dr. Benjamin Heddy, serving on my committee to mold me into the best educator that I can be. I especially want to thank Dr. Lawrence Baines for everything he gave throughout my tenure at OU. Your guidance as an advisor, a teacher, and mentor set the standard for the educator I aspire to become. Thank you for all your hard work and allowing me to stand on your shoulders to reach places I could not have reached myself. I am lucky to have an amazing family, who kept me going with love, prayers, and encouragement. Shawn and Michelle, thank you for showing me that Oklahoma State graduates can actually be good people. Michelle, you have always motivated me as a thoughtful and innovative teacher, and Shawn, as a big brother, you have always pushed me to become the best version of myself. vi Alex, seeing your increased excitement with education is inspiring, and I feel privileged to be able to call you my son. You continually make me proud with your intelligence, empathy for others, and humor. I can't wait to take credit for all the amazing accomplishments you will achieve in your life. To my remarkable wife Melissa, you are the reason I do everything I do. You are the strongest and most caring person I have ever met, and I am constantly in awe of you. You were a consistent source of strength throughout this process. You always knew when to make me work on my dissertation writing, and when to make sure I took a break for my sanity. You are the rock in my life, and I thank God every day that you haven't gotten sick of me yet. Lastly, I want to thank my Mom and Dad, Jack and Lana. A dissertation isn't long enough to tell you how thankful I am for both of you and your influence on my life. Without your support physically, emotionally and financially, I would not have attempted, let alone finished, the Ph.D. journey. Mom, your heart for service is an incredible example for how a true educator sees the world. You taught me the value of being a great teacher that connects with each student to share a love of learning (while correcting their grammar). Dad, your work ethic and drive has always been a model for me. Without that example, I might have quit at many stops along the way. Thank you both for this opportunity. I will strive to be the best person and educator I can be, so all your time, hard work, and sacrifices were not in vain.

To Jack and Lana-this would not have been possible without you. v Acknowledgements When I was a c... more To Jack and Lana-this would not have been possible without you. v Acknowledgements When I was a child, my go-to answers for "what I wanted to be when I grew up" were 1) baseball player, 2) a pastor, or 3) a doctor. The path I took to get here had many twists and turns, and fortunately, 8-year-old me wasn't too specific about what kind of doctor, so I can honestly say I am fulfilling a lifelong dream with this PhD. But a person cannot achieve such an honor on their own. I was lucky enough to attend the University of Oklahoma, a school that I truly love. My fellow students and professors reaffirmed this love weekly through their support, humor, kindness, and commiseration. I would like to thank Dr. Crag Hill, and Dr. Neil Houser for not only teaching me meaningful and relevant material in class, but also showing me how to be an engaging and dynamic teacher in the process. I am honored to have you, along with Dr. Benjamin Heddy, serving on my committee to mold me into the best educator that I can be. I especially want to thank Dr. Lawrence Baines for everything he gave throughout my tenure at OU. Your guidance as an advisor, a teacher, and mentor set the standard for the educator I aspire to become. Thank you for all your hard work and allowing me to stand on your shoulders to reach places I could not have reached myself. I am lucky to have an amazing family, who kept me going with love, prayers, and encouragement. Shawn and Michelle, thank you for showing me that Oklahoma State graduates can actually be good people. Michelle, you have always motivated me as a thoughtful and innovative teacher, and Shawn, as a big brother, you have always pushed me to become the best version of myself. vi Alex, seeing your increased excitement with education is inspiring, and I feel privileged to be able to call you my son. You continually make me proud with your intelligence, empathy for others, and humor. I can't wait to take credit for all the amazing accomplishments you will achieve in your life. To my remarkable wife Melissa, you are the reason I do everything I do. You are the strongest and most caring person I have ever met, and I am constantly in awe of you. You were a consistent source of strength throughout this process. You always knew when to make me work on my dissertation writing, and when to make sure I took a break for my sanity. You are the rock in my life, and I thank God every day that you haven't gotten sick of me yet. Lastly, I want to thank my Mom and Dad, Jack and Lana. A dissertation isn't long enough to tell you how thankful I am for both of you and your influence on my life. Without your support physically, emotionally and financially, I would not have attempted, let alone finished, the Ph.D. journey. Mom, your heart for service is an incredible example for how a true educator sees the world. You taught me the value of being a great teacher that connects with each student to share a love of learning (while correcting their grammar). Dad, your work ethic and drive has always been a model for me. Without that example, I might have quit at many stops along the way. Thank you both for this opportunity. I will strive to be the best person and educator I can be, so all your time, hard work, and sacrifices were not in vain.