Why I Teach

I decided to become a professor because, at the most basic level, I believe we human beings can do better to understand, care for, and respect each other and that critical thinking can help us in this pursuit. 

I study and teach literature in particular because humans seem overwhelmingly to be creatures of narrative.  We live and love with and through stories and storytelling in many ways.  Literature is a means of presenting and contemplating self and world that feeds both head and heart: at its best it can make us both think and feel.  That combination has the potential to encourage compassionate growth and to inspire change, positive change to make the world a better place for each and all of us.

I study popular film and television because understanding how media images work and how the media shapes our world and worldview is vital to challenging negative impact and enhancing resistance, again to help us create positive change in the world. 

Education is a slow process, working with individuals at various stages of growth and self-awareness -- including that of the teacher.  I value my own ongoing education, which I strive to attain in various "classrooms" in my life, both formal and informal, including the classrooms in which I teach.  Education is an adventure, a journey, and a lot of work -- for all of us.  It nourishes and frustrates, builds and tears down.  I value the journey my students take with me and do all I can to help them to value the the experience.

                                                                                                        ~Elyce Rae Helford