Marion Kimble
Noted for his commitment to helping his students not only learn, but also enjoy the learning experience, David Schamus is one of many professors joining Pierce College’s full-time staff this fall.
For more than 25 years, Schamus, 52, has found joy in helping students learn. From working with the Department of Water and Power to teaching beginning networking classes part time at Pierce during the spring, he finds working with those who are motivated and interested in learning to be enjoyable and rewarding.
“I used to load 12 computers onto the back of a truck and bring them to the training center, set them up, teach, then load them onto the truck again every day,” said Schamus when talking about no credit Introduction to Computers courses that he taught at Valley and Pierce colleges in the late 1980s.
“David has donated recycled Cicso equipment to the computer science department and taught a Cisco class for the CSIT department in spring 2007,” said Lynne O’Hanlon, computer science and information technology department chair. “I met David at the start of spring semester when he began working for the computer science department, teaching a beginning networking class.”
“He is energetic, enthusiastic and goes out of his way to help each and every student,” O’Hanlon continues. “He works diligently to find ways to help students learn. He loves teaching and his students enjoy the helpful learning experiences in his classes.”
“He is an important addition to the computer science department and will be working in curriculum development in the networking and technology areas of this department,” O’Hanlon said.
In his spare time, Schamus enjoys bike riding, hiking and playing guitar and bass in his band, The Motherboards. He met some of his closest friends, including his keyboardist, his drummer and his wife on the social forum, “Lindy’s Motherboard.”
“The drummer from my band became the priest who married my wife and me,” Schamus said.
Schamus’ goal is to not just teach, but to also help people learn. His philosophy is that everyone is capable of doing well in his class and he assigns grades based on what you can do and not just what you can remember.
“Unlike your job history, your grades follow you forever,” Schamus said. “Since I’ve been at Pierce, I’ve met people who want to be here, which makes them easy to help.”