FACULTY SPOTLIGHT (previous spotlights)

Name: Joan E. Hellman

Title/s: Professor—Reading and English, CCBC Reading Department Chairperson

Department: Philosophy, Language, Reading, and ESOL

Division: Liberal Arts

Years of service at CCBC: 28

My teaching philosophy is…Learning is a joy! Hopefully, each student finds what he or she wants to learn and is swept away. I enjoy putting the “bread crumbs” on the path toward a particular learning goal, but my real goal is to inspire students to pursue their own learning. And there is so much to learn! Everyday is a new learning experience. From the various sounds of birds to the philosophy of Kant, each day is full of learning. In teaching both reading and writing, I emphasize the skills involved in these disciplines, but most of all, I present both as tools to learning. Real learning takes place inside as a student uses his or her skills to pursue a passion, an area of knowledge that he or she wants to know about and internalize.

I usually teach… to the soul and for personal growth.

CCBC’s greatest strengths are…the personalities one contacts each day. CCBC people are diverse, stimulating, and full of challenges.

CCBC’s greatest weakness is…trying to be too much to too many people. Trying to cover all the bases. Money always limits what people can do, and CCBC is no exception.

My most rewarding experience at CCBC…was teaching a very limited student to read well enough so that he was able to take a driving test and get his license.

If I could change one thing at CCBC… I would require that students learn realistically what they are committing themselves to when they decide to pursue a degree. Students need to know what time commitments are necessary and the sacrifices they must make to accomplish their goals.

CCBC students are…varied, challenging, friendly, real, capable, and inspiring.

My other professional experiences include…researching the authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe and writing poetry.

I am currently reading…a biography titled Wild Heart about Natalie Clifford Barney, who was a writer during the early 20th Century. She was a lesbian when that term was unheard of and a very daring woman during a time when women’s lives were still very restricted.

Outside CCBC, I enjoy…bird watching (I belong to the Maryland Ornithological Society); doll making and collecting (I belong to the Baltimore Doll Study Group); gardening; playing tennis; lap swimming; weight lifting; rock climbing; playing piano; singing (I sing with a choral group); dog training (I belong to the Dog Owners and Trainers Club); and writing poetry.