2008 Woodie Awards
Communication professor considered top by students
Joel Paramo
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: The Plug
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The jubilant Helen Acosta sat quietly in her office at Bakersfield College going through quizzes her class had just completed minutes before. They were using a new clicker method that apparently took up a lot more time then predicted.
"It took twice the time it takes to take a normal quiz, but it was entertaining and we got through it," said Acosta. "The students seemed to be having fun laughing."
She is, according to students, one of the best teachers at Bakersfield College and was voted number one in a poll done by The Rip. Students enjoy her unconventional teaching style and how she includes everyone in the class. But, Acosta hopes it is because she's not threatening and because she is fun.
"I like to run my class room as a friendly, vociferous, rowdy, fun environment," she said. "Oh wait, also respectful," she said with a large smile running from cheek to cheek on the verge of a boisterous laugh.
Acosta, 38, grew up two blocks away from Bakersfield College and would go and play on campus as a kid. At the tender age of 15 she began to take classes at BC while still enrolled at her high school, she took History 17A with a professor Greg Goodwin whom she noted as being exceptionally "great." She also took swimming and madrigal singers, thinking that someday she would be a music teacher. Unfortunately she couldn't learn to play the piano. After her history class at BC she took a similar course at her high school that spanned over a whole year.
"It was the biggest waste of my time," said Acosta. "It was so boring, I got a C in Goodwin's class, here at BC I got an A."
After she graduated in 1987, she went on to many colleges including UCLA, Orange Coast City College, Chico State, and eventually received a bachelors and then a masters degree in speech in 1994, from Cal State University of Northridge.
"While I was getting my masters I also taught at L.A. Valley College and was also a forensics coach," said Acosta.
She comes from a long line of teachers. Acosta has grandparents that were teachers, cousins, and her mom and dad. Her father is what inspired her to become a communication professor, he started at Bakersfield College as well. So, she didn't feel bad when she decided majoring in music wasn't her niche.
"It took twice the time it takes to take a normal quiz, but it was entertaining and we got through it," said Acosta. "The students seemed to be having fun laughing."
She is, according to students, one of the best teachers at Bakersfield College and was voted number one in a poll done by The Rip. Students enjoy her unconventional teaching style and how she includes everyone in the class. But, Acosta hopes it is because she's not threatening and because she is fun.
"I like to run my class room as a friendly, vociferous, rowdy, fun environment," she said. "Oh wait, also respectful," she said with a large smile running from cheek to cheek on the verge of a boisterous laugh.
Acosta, 38, grew up two blocks away from Bakersfield College and would go and play on campus as a kid. At the tender age of 15 she began to take classes at BC while still enrolled at her high school, she took History 17A with a professor Greg Goodwin whom she noted as being exceptionally "great." She also took swimming and madrigal singers, thinking that someday she would be a music teacher. Unfortunately she couldn't learn to play the piano. After her history class at BC she took a similar course at her high school that spanned over a whole year.
"It was the biggest waste of my time," said Acosta. "It was so boring, I got a C in Goodwin's class, here at BC I got an A."
After she graduated in 1987, she went on to many colleges including UCLA, Orange Coast City College, Chico State, and eventually received a bachelors and then a masters degree in speech in 1994, from Cal State University of Northridge.
"While I was getting my masters I also taught at L.A. Valley College and was also a forensics coach," said Acosta.
She comes from a long line of teachers. Acosta has grandparents that were teachers, cousins, and her mom and dad. Her father is what inspired her to become a communication professor, he started at Bakersfield College as well. So, she didn't feel bad when she decided majoring in music wasn't her niche.
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Helen Acosta
Helen Acosta
posted 10/09/07 @ 3:43 PM PST
Hi Joel,
Thank you for the story. It made me blush!
A few corrections:
I never attended UCLA--I took a few classes at CSULA as part of my CSUN master's program. (Continued…)
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