Samo alumnus Dylan Early returns to his roots
By Alani Kanan, Staff Writer
At the start of the second semester, Jan. 5, Samo gained a new Algebra II and Geometry teacher, Dylan Early, who is also a Samo alumnus. From experiencing Samo as a student himself, Early is excited to implement his new teachings into the classroom. After graduating from Samo in 2007, attending both Trinity University and UCLA for graduate school, as well as teaching at the STEM Academy of Hollywood and Hollywood High School, Early is ready to come back to his roots in Santa Monica. Principal Antonio Shelton spoke of the benefits of having a teacher who is familiar with the Samo community.
“It is always good to have someone who is familiar with the community, who grew up in the community and is a part of the community in this way, especially as a teacher, as a role model, and now as an educator, at his alma mater. I think it’s pretty sweet and we are excited to have him and glad that he has chosen to be a part of the Samo community,” Shelton said.
Throughout his high school career at Samo, Early was highly involved in the baseball team, continuing into college and later working as an assistant coach at Venice High School. His love for being a part of a team influenced his career in teaching as well as the connections he built with players on the field. Early brings this teamwork into his math classes today.
“I started tutoring and then boom. This all kind of flourished from working with this age group in sports. I think it's also the relationships that I build and kind of the way that I feel motivated when I am working with our youth,” Early said.
Early’s start at Samo sprouted from the idea of teaching back home in his community, where it all started for him and where he spent the majority of his teenage years, learning new aspects of life and growing as a person.
“This is where I'm from. This is my community. Coming home and being here is something that means a lot to me, and I think that I've always really wanted to be a part of this community again because it's what made me who I am,” Early said.
Although it was easy to move from teaching at Hollywood to Samo in the mathematics department, the Zoom aspect was not. However, Early is planning lessons that aim to be challenging and engaging. While the adjustment from in-person to online teaching has made it difficult for Early to build relationships with his students, he tries his best by conversing with his students about his perspective on life and trying to relate to them. One of his students touched on his style of teaching and adjustment to the new position.
“I think Mr. Early is adjusting really well and I really like his teaching style. He gives us notes and explains, answers questions and then we practice. He makes me feel comfortable in my math abilities and makes it fun as well,” Ava Rodriquez (’23) said.
While it may take time for Early to adjust to Samo, the mathematics department along with the rest of the staff are confident he will adapt well to his new position as an educator.
