Arizona Western College’s 2017 Teachers of the Year
April 21, 2017This year’s Arizona Western College 2017 Teachers of the Year honorees are Reetika Dhawan, Professor of Mathematics, and Douglas Pearson, Adjunct Faculty of Business. Both will be recognized at the Yuma County Education Foundation Teacher of the Year banquet at the Yuma Civic and Convention Center on April 25th.
As the Teacher of the Year, one of Reetika’s award responsibilities is to select a student who is a high school senior or a student already attending AWC for a scholarship.
AWC student Shawna Holyfield has been selected as the Teacher of the Year Presidential Scholarship recipient by Reetika Dhawan. The Scholarship is presented each year in the name of the faculty member selected as the Arizona Western College Teacher of the Year. The funding for this scholarship comes from the President’s budget, covering in-state tuition and fees. It may be renewed for three consecutive academic year semesters (for a total award of up to four semesters). The student scholarship recipient must be a resident within the Arizona Western College District of Yuma or La Paz County and must be a U.S. citizen
Excerpt from Reetika Dhawan’s Teaching Philosophy Statement
“A key aspect of my teaching style is to deliver engaging, high quality lectures. I have always been curious as to why certain seminar and colloquium speakers are so much better, more exciting than others. I decided that, just like learning to ride a bike, it was a matter of understanding key points in the “art of presentation”, and of a lot of trial-and-error. I started studying how successful presentations are prepared and delivered. I believe a well-organized, engaging lectures is one that possesses a core topic, clearly outlined at the beginning of class, together with a motivation as to why we care about it and how it is relevant.”
Excerpt from Douglas Pearson’s Teaching Philosophy Statement
“I teach to increase the student’s knowledge of a subject matter through repetition and expansion using reading, listening and research. I want my students to remember things for a lifetime not just long enough to pass a test.”
Contact:
Elizabeth Renaud
Director for CTE/Professor of Early Childhood Education
Arizona Western College
(928) 344-7560
Elizabeth.Renaud@azwestern.edu