HoC: Steve Shelton
Humans of Chaffey
Steve Shelton. Photo by Edward Lopez.
Public speaking can be hard, especially when your grade depends on it. Fortunately, there are professors like Steve Shelton that enjoy teaching students this important life skill.
As a college professor, teaching and preparing students for success is a great responsibility and weight to carry. When asked why professor Shelton teaches communication studies, Shelton said:
"I truly think communication is one of the most important and necessary skills to be successful. I love preparing students for success, and I think Communication Studies very much allows for that."
By getting involved in academia and teaching his students how to become effective speakers and build strong communication skills, Shelton hopes that he can guide his students to not only be successful in the classroom, but to be successful in life.
According to Shelton, being a communication studies professor at Chaffey was not his original career choice. Shelton knew he wanted to study communications, but wanted to enter into mass communication. When asked why Shelton chose to study communication studies, Shelton said:
"I initially wanted to get into broadcast journalism, which at many universities falls under their Mass Communication department. I could not be more happy that I chose to go to a university in which this was the case. I truly do love the field of communication studies."
Shelton enjoys helping his students succeed and passing down his knowledge and passion to others who share the same passion that he does for the field of communication. After teaching for 15 years, being a college professor has become a passion for Shelton.
Shelton shares that being a father, husband and college professor has its share of stress and headaches but also rewards. Shelton states why he loves teaching:
"I love passing on my passion of a subject that I think is so important to a persons day to day life, and hoping they will take that passion and knowledge I instilled and pass that passion and knowledge on to others as well."
Professor Shelton teaches five different classes, but enjoys teaching small Group communication the most because of the interaction he has with his students.
"I enjoy teaching all of my classes,” Shelton says, “but I enjoy teaching small group communication the most... I found that small group communication allows me to get a chance to know my students a lot better, and also gives the students a chance to get to know each other better. Not only that but it makes the environment that much more enjoyable.”