Humans of Chaffey: Professor David Richards
"If you see value in learning you see value in everything around you, because there is so much to learn" - David Richards, 2022
By Salma Calderon
In Chaffey College alone there are an estimated 30,000+ individuals consisting of students and faculty who all have their own stories and beliefs that make them who they are. Everyone has a chance to contribute to the campus. One such individual is Professor David Richards, who not only provides for Chaffey College and its students online but also provides a firm foundation at Alta Loma High School as an English teacher.
As both a professor at Chaffey and a teacher at Alta Loma, David Richards excels at both jobs which are not all as different as they would seem.
He is involved with each of his students, from the most academically confident student to the most distant student, whether in his online college class or in person with his freshmen and juniors.
Regardless of the circumstance, Richards is dedicated. From managing Alta Loma High School's Academic Decathlon and presenting the meaning of tones to his freshmen, to making sure his online college students are grinding their way to the top, he enjoys all the connections he is able to make no matter the mood.
"To me, the fun of the job is connecting with the kids, and with Chaffey it’s connecting with people. I’m someone that thinks that most of the problems in our world are because we’re not connected well enough, like we think we are with social media and stuff, but we’re not connected in any real way. There is no humanity.”
He strongly believes in the thought that society, whether within a school community or not, is much better connected when they get to interact with one another face-to-face. The most important connections and perceptions are the ones made in the school environment.
"There is no connection with teachers and students, they see each other as distinctly different but it’s like we’re all in the same community. We are all living in Rancho Cucamonga, we all go to the same parks and the same shops and people go to the same churches, and it's like how we treat each other here can actually spread out to how we treat each other [in general]".
His focus on connection in his approach as an educator resonates with his high school students, especially his freshmen and English learners.
At both Chaffey and Alta Loma, Richards has experience teaching many levels of students and their ability to go forth with the material covered. He finds it important to recognize who his students are, where they come from, and what their life is like.
Between 2017 and 2018, he encountered a first-generation immigrant student at Chaffey who was in his mid-30s who worked at a warehouse by night so that he could attend classes in the morning. Even though this student struggled academically he remained diligent, revealing the character of someone who was willing to put in the work to achieve his goals.
The two shared a common idea: that the American Dream could be attained through education - which Richards thought was very cool.
Education was the pathway that led Richards to change.
The path that he sought is what brought him to Chaffey College in 2016. From that point, he additionally began teaching at Summit High School until the Fall of 2021, when he landed his position as an English teacher at Alta Loma High School.
At Alta Loma he tries his hardest each and every day to prepare his students for life in college, whether they choose to go to a four-year or community, he ensures they have a steady reading and writing foundation that will equip them for the comprehensive skills they will learn in the future. Just like at Chaffey, he is getting his students ready to take the next step, especially since college is just one out of a million things they have to do in their life.
He advocates for the best, reminding each and every one of his students that education is important and each individual is their own. No path is the same, there is no right way to reach and exceed your own goals.
"Your path doesn’t have to be the traditional four-year “I’m gonna get a bachelor's degree; I’m going to get a master's degree”. You can’t enter the modern world without some type of continued education, the high school diploma is just not going to cut it".
Richards leaves off with the most important advice he believes students should think about:
"Regardless of your ability level, there is a path somewhere for you at Chaffey. The first step is just figuring out what that path is and just taking your shot, entering college and looking at the different programs, and trying to figure out what’s important for you. Continued education is absolutely key. It will continue to be key moving forward."
If you are looking to fill an English requirement with someone who understands that college is just one in a million things you have going on in your life, then go ahead and take Professor Richards English-1B. It is definitely worth it.