John Allen Lemmon

Easy, low-key, open to student's issues. No issues with attendance, or participation. A slackers dream !

If you want to be a good social worker, you have to learn about human development. I was more than disappointed by Professor Lemmon's lack of commitment to teach me things about this topic.

His class syllabus was a copy of the book (he never used) table of contents, an epitomous expression of laziness.

He is very funny, but not always sensitive and also, not very adaptable to student's feedback. I would guess that half the class didn't attend class, but he didn't seem to care.

Bottom line is that MSW students really need this material, not an "A" for nothing. I think classes like Lemmon's are what produce inadequate workers and clinicians. sigh.

He trusts students and gives them a benefit of a doubt. Very nice, very funny, but most importantly very knowledgeable and very bright. You do not need enforcement as a grad. student - you are an adult after all. Dr. Lemmon has a lot to offer if you want to learn.

Lemmon is a likeable fellow, if I don't consider that he didn't teach me a thing about human behavior. I appreciated the break in a busy schedule and he was often entertaining to listen to, but I wouldn't take him again if I could avoid it.

Professor Lemmon is responsible for teachng a very important subject matter in the field of social work -- Human Behavior and Social Environment. As a graduate student who is planning to use clinical skills and obtain an LCSW this subject matter is vital to learn. Unfortunately Professor Lemmon is not going to be the one to help a student become more prepared for entering the field of social work. He is a very intelligient man with a lot of history in the field, but he lacks the ability to teach and engage his students. He rambles on about current events, but provides no forum to engage students in a real meaningful or challenging discussion. When I hear how other sections of SW 710 are learning how to do genograms and other assignments it's disappointing that I am not having the same learning experience. This is an easy class, but who wants easy? I want to learn and become a competent social worker.

The class was enjoyable and easy--great, that seems to be what most students want--to be entertained and get an easy grade. I was frustrated and disappointed with this class because it is apparent that Mr. Lemmon is very knowleadgable but does not seem to challenge the students. Sure I got an A, but I would have been better off with a B and a challenge to my intellect. All that was required was to show up now and again and turn in a paper. What's so infuriating about all this is whether you turned in a lousy paper or a great paper everyone got an A, that's just not fair to the people who are serious. It also makes me feel like I'm wasting my time and money. But he is a hell of a nice guy.

Prof. Lemmon has a good heart and a commitment to the field of social work. He has many interesting things to say about current topics in social work and has a good sense of humor. As a person, I like him. These attributes, however, do not translate into good, quality teaching. This class was very disappointing for me. There is one textbook that is dry, boring, and redundant. There was no reading schedule and the text was rarely discussed in class. A reader made up of current articles on the real intersections of biology, psychology and sociology would have been a thousand times better. The class format is basically a wandering casual lecture and some class discussion of current topics, with no structure and not enough conceptual information. The ONE SINGLE assignment is a paper, due on the last day, again with almost no structure or meaning to the assignment. The actual class time was shortened by Prof. Lemmon--without any class discussion--by at least 30 minutes. While many students I've talked to agreed that the low output and expectations from this class were not acceptable and wished they were learning more, some simply accepted it as their "easy" class. For me, graduate school is too important to have "easy" classes where the learning transaction is this minimal. This class was basically a waste of my time. I get the feeling that Prof. Lemmon either doesn't have the time or interest in the real topic of this class and that it was just delegated to him to teach. If this is not the case, then he needs to have a real and honest review of his teaching methods. Professors need to be accountable to their students--we are consumers in the educational world and have the right to demand quality education.