Our Nassau Community College Hawkes Learning Student Ambassador, Lauren Zafonte, had
the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Murray Fullman and learning more about his devotion to teaching, especially as it relates to using Hawkes Learning. After 62 years of teaching, Dr. Fullman has seen it all – from teaching at the college level to junior high and high school. His passion for education and connecting with students has kept him going strong. Now, he’s found a valuable tool in Hawkes Learning for the past 6-7 years, which he uses for his Intro to Psychology courses. Dr. Fullman praises Hawkes’ concise, engaging content and the variety of learning modalities it offers students. He’s also been impressed by the exceptional support system from the Hawkes team. Truly an inspiring educator!
*Interview responses have been lightly edited for content and clarity
Can you start by telling me a bit about how long you’ve been teaching?
I am probably going to shock you with this, but believe it or not, I’ve been teaching 62 years! I have been at Nassau Community College for 56 years. I actually started teaching when I had a graduate fellowship for my master’s degree. I’ve taught every level. I went from a graduate fellowship or teaching at the college I went to for my doctorate, where they never sent off my transcript, so I wound up teaching at a junior high school because I had to find a job. I ended up leaving the junior high because it was down in the South where I was only allowed to teach history up to 1865.
Any memorable moments you’d like to share from your teaching experience?
One of my students became a very famous singer. I was teaching at Hicksville High School, where he went at the time, and he played on Friday nights at the dances. I always say, if you find a job that you enjoy doing, you’ve worked the last day of your life. The interaction with students is my favorite part of teaching. I love being with people.
When I get students like yourself, that to me is the most rewarding thing about teaching. You
feel a sense of accomplishment, and I feel fortunate as to the number of people who are my colleagues now who really have gone into the field because of my influence. I was standing in line to board a plane during one of my many commutes between New York and Florida, because I taught in both states for 16 years, and suddenly a student walked up to me. He asked, “Are you Dr. Fullman?” He said he knew it was me because of my smile. He told me he is in the field now and actually has four offices. That to me, is the most rewarding thing.
How long have you been teaching with Hawkes?
When you first contacted me, I looked it up to see how long it had been. I was originally
contacted by a fabulous representative. She came up to Nassau Community College
and asked if she could demonstrate the courseware. She did such a fabulous job that I was totally enthralled by the program and what it had to offer. That was back in 2018, so I’ve been using Hawkes for quite a while.
Which classes are you using Hawkes for?
Intro to Psychology. Believe it or not, when I first came to Nassau, I did not like teaching Intro to Psychology. Before Hawkes, I only taught Abnormal Psychology for about 25 to 30 years. Then when I was introduced to Hawkes, I said to myself, maybe it is time for a change of pace. Since then, I do not even teach Abnormal Psychology. I love Hawkes so much that I will only teach Into to Psychology.
Would it be correct to say you’ve noticed a difference in the students since using Hawkes?
Yes, I noticed the difference immediately with Hawkes. I’m the type of person that likes to be succinct and get to the point. I read Hawkes, and I find it really enjoyable. It’s short. It’s simple. I like the fact that you can get through reading the text without dragging yourself through it. I really think they are doing an excellent job.
What is your favorite thing about Hawkes?
Their resources are fabulous. The opportunity for the student to learn on multiple levels is incredible. We all have different learning modalities – some of us are visual learners and some of us are auditory learners. So, if you happen to be an auditory learner, you have the opportunity to listen to the material.
I highly recommend Hawkes; I tout it off to other people when I’m talking about it. I think the support system is absolutely phenomenal!
Meet the Author
Lauren is a freshman Nursing major at Nassau County Community College, where she maintains a 3.9 GPA and a spot on the Dean’s List. She aspires to one day become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in mental health. Her favorite classes are psychology and English. She is proud to serve as Treasurer of the ASAP (Advancing Success in Associate Pathways) program at NCC. While she does occasionally enjoy a good Netflix binge, her true loves are reading, poetry, and audiobooks. Lauren has a three-year-old pitbull, Luna, who loves to play and run, which keeps her active.
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