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Many know him as one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people at Allen Community College. Those who have had any of Erik Griffith’s classes — English Composition I or II, Principles of Geography, Introduction to Mythology, Intermediate Reading, Pre-Composition — soon realize he has had a good education and rich life experiences that he is willing to share with his students.
“I started my college career at Neosho Community College and got my bachelor’s degree when I attended Emporia State University,” he said. “I had a wonderful experience at Emporia and loved the English program.”
Griffith has been teaching for 15 years at Allen. In teaching so long, one might wonder what keeps Griffith wanting to get up and go to work every morning.
“Well, the motivation for me throughout these years has just been the students,” Griffith said. “Their kindness, attention, and progress keep me going.”
Griffith has also been to many other countries and has even taught in Japan. So, he has a wide knowledge base about many areas outside of the Midwest region of America. Even so, he is right where he wants to be in southeast Kansas and at Allen.
“My number one favorite state in the United States is the state of Kansas. I guess there just isn’t any place like home. My number two would be Arizona because of how beautiful the state is,” he said, showing his knowledge of geography. “My third would be Missouri, and, finally, my fourth would be Utah.”
One subject that Griffith knows particularly well is movies.
“I believe that the movie Glory is the best movie ever created, at least in my opinion,” he said. “The movie portrayed the horrors of war, but it definitely was not an antiwar movie by any means. It is the only movie that I have come across that has been able to pull that off.
“Also I think that was Denzel Washington’s best performance in a movie.”