Dr. Kevin Lam joins education department faculty

     New Visiting Assistant Professor of Education, Dr. Kevin Lam is looking forward to his first year here at Muskingum. Lam has had a busy first few weeks. Along with teaching two sections of both Education 110 and Education 112, Lam also accompanied this semester's student teachers to North Carolina to observe and work in culturally and racially diverse schools with the focus on ELL students.

    Lam was born in Vietnam then moved to Los Angeles, California at a young age. He did his undergraduate studies at UCLA, and then taught sixth grade Social Studies and Math. Prior to K-12 teaching, he worked as a youth gang prevention worker. He is very interested in working with students who have been marginalized in different ways.

    All of this work was what inspired Lam to get his master's degree at California State L.A. . in Education.  He then pursued his Ph.D. degree in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  His research interests include youth culture and critical pedagogy.

    Having lived in the mid-west for the past eight years he feels Mid-western and that these experiences have helped him to see the world in a very different light.

    Like most undergraduates, Lam was contemplating what he wanted to do with his life, and worked as teaching assistant at a "newcomers" school, which is a K-12 school for students who have recently immigrated to the United States. He felt as though he could really relate to these students because of his personal background and liked the classroom context and enjoyed working with the students. "I like to be in the classroom with students," said Lam. "I feel like we can learn together."

     Previously, Lam taught classes at UC-Riverside, USC, and Ohio University and brings with him to Muskingum experience teaching at a higher education level. Lam liked the idea of Muskingum being a smaller university and having more intimate class sizes. "Coming from UCLA where there are 50, 000 students you can get lost in the crowd," said Lam. While Muskingum offers a smaller student to professor ratio where they can engage and have better learning interactions.

     He wants to be able to offer a different perspective on how students see the world. He says it's always about trying to get students to be critical thinkers, engaging thinkers, and engaging scholars. "I see students as intellectuals," said Lam, "All students."

     Dr. Rae White, Chair of the Department of Education and Head of the Educator Preparation Unit, feels that each new faculty member has so much to offer the university. "Each new person that comes brings his/her own rich background and can enhance our program," said White. "They bring experience, knowledge, they bring that passion and I'm very excited about Dr. Lam."

     White also went to North Carolina with the student teachers and was able to spend a lot of time with Lam. From this she discovered that he is very dedicated, bright, talented, and that Muskingum is very lucky to have him here to call our own.

     Lam has high expectations for this year and is most eager about the possibility that students will get excited about what they read and get something out of his classes. His intro classes will be these hopeful young educations majors start, just as they are his start here at Muskingum.

     Sophomore Katie Dinges, who is a student of Lam's, is enjoying his class so far. "I feel like he's very insightful and creditable," said Dinges. " He gives us opportunities for in class discussions and helps us be open minded."

    To sum up his experience thus far he says it's been tiring in a lot of ways, but it's been good. "I think I feed off the rush," said Lam.