Christopher Hartley
What do you teach here at Plaza?
I teach courses in English and the Humanities here at Plaza.
Where did you grow up, primarily, and where did you attend college? What degrees to you hold?
I was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania but grew up in the capital, Harrisburg. I received a B.A. from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA, an M.A. in English Literature from SUNY New Paltz, and an M.Phil degree in Medieval Literature from Fordham University in the Bronx.
What do you remember most vividly about your interview at Plaza College?
The friendliness and support I received from Dean Dolla and the rest of the faculty and staff! From the very beginning, they made me feel like a valued member of the Plaza community.
What do you remember about the very first time you ever taught at Plaza?
My first semester at Plaza, I was replacing another professor part way through the term, so it could have been a very difficult situation, but the students were very understanding and eager to learn, which made my job a lot easier.
What has been your most rewarding experience in the classroom so far?
Every time I see that the students know a little bit more at the end of the class than they did at the beginning is a rewarding experience for me!
During the day, when you’re not in class or your office (if you have one) where are we likely to find you?
When I’m not at my desk, you’ll most likely find me exploring the great neighborhood of Jackson Heights!
In class, if a lesson isn’t going well, what do you do to get your students' attention?
There are different schools of thought on this question, but I find that animal noises work best, usually those of a charging elephant, but in extreme cases, the mewling of a baby giraffe does the trick nicely.
When a lesson isn’t going well, it is often because the instructor has failed to communicate a point clearly to the students. That is the time when it is important to step back, figure out where the lesson went off track, and restate the point in a different way.
Tell us something about your life outside the classroom. Do you have any interesting hobbies?
I don’t know how interesting my hobbies are, but they include playing games on my Xbox 360, watching movies on DVD, listening to music on my iPod, and reading anything and everything I can get my hands on! And when the weather’s nice, I occasionally get my butt off the couch and ride my bike through Inwood’s amazing parks!
What would you consider to be five must-see movies for any movie lover?
Z; Goodfellas; Wings of Desire; The Third Man; Apocalypse Now
What are some of your "guilty pleasure" films?
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension; Escape from New York; Beerfest
What makes Plaza College so unique?
The unique thing about Plaza College is the personal attention that we are able to give our students in order to help them achieve their goals and work towards better and brighter futures for themselves and their families.
Finish this sentence: Plaza College is: a place like no other!
What do the students have to say about Professor Hartley?
"Mr. Hartley is an amazing professor. His dedication and constant encouragement to students make him continue to shine. I was fortunate to have him as my English professor, and once I left his class, I was encouraged to be not only a great writer, but a confident one as well. Students lucky enough to have Mr. Hartley as a professor will find that his constant motivation and constructive criticism will help guide them in all their future academic endeavors and impact their lives." Candace Nixon