Education is a community event! Glad you are part of our community.
Hello – My name is Sam May-Varas, Ed.D. (he/him/his) and I primarily teach adult education courses. Throughout my career in education, I have had the honor of meeting a diverse group of individuals. These interactions contributed and supported my growth as an educator. I have developed positive relationships that have allowed me to actively engage in the learning process. Relationships are integral to developing a positive learning environment. Education is based on developing positive relationships and these relationships are supported when individuals share experiences, engage in critical reflection, and participate in dialogue.
I believe education provides opportunities for individuals to continually develop and achieve their goals. I would like to share what I believe about education.
I believe…
- Relationships are integral to developing a positive learning environment.
- Education is a community event where each individual can add value to a topic because of their experiences. I encourage building positive relationships and learning by creating opportunities for students to share their experiences and learn from each other.
- Critically reflecting on content offers students a chance to go beyond memorizing and recalling facts. It allows students to think about how the content can be utilized in their current work and how it impacts student learning.
- Experiences and critical reflection provide a solid foundation for making the content relevant. I encourage relationship building and learning from each other by providing opportunities to participate in dialogue about content and assessments.
- By encouraging the development of positive relationships, we can create a learning environment where students can share experiences, engage in critical reflection, and participate in dialogue. This type of learning environment promotes student success.
I look forward to building relationships and continuing the dialogue to support you in your success.