Richard Varela has known he wanted to be a teacher since he was in third grade when he would take unused worksheets out of the trash because he thought he "might need them later." Those pages are a bit outdated now, but the sentiment remains. Before becoming a teacher through the Boettcher Teacher Residency, Richard spent a year in Oregon with Americorps ensuring seniors in rural areas had access to healthy, nutritious meals so that they could remain independent. He brings this passion for sustainable independence to the classroom, where he pushes every student to not only meet his expectations but their own, believing that education is best endeavored upon when the interest is natural and ebullient. Through the Boettcher Teacher Residency, he spent a year in the classroom of a master teacher at STEM Magnet Lab where he learned the value of inquiry and real-world application of learning. Richard is overflowing with excitement for his fourth year at Coyote Ridge.
“He explained to me with great insistence that every question possessed a power that did not lie in the answer.”
--Elie Wiesel, Night