Here at TMS, we all have those teachers that we love, and some, not so much. But we have all benefited from them whether we like them or not. In this article, teachers share about their classes and teaching styles, and students speak out about  what they enjoyed in their classes.

Mr. Barry

How would you describe a typical day?

“So, we normally do a warm-up, then we do some group work, and then at the end, we all try to put it all together.”

Do you reward your students for doing something above and beyond?

“I just give a high-five.”

When did you learn the teaching style that you like?

“Probably like four years ago from another teacher at another school.”

What is your goal as a teacher?

“Try to recognize patterns and the math that’s in their life.”

Mr. Carbajal

How would you describe a typical day?

“So normally the way the classes start is some type of review and then it usually has to do with something that was harder for them before. And then we go into our lesson where we have some instructions, but then we have practice time and during the practice time, it’s all, I try to get the kids to help me help each other. The kids help each other. And then after that, we can usually have some type of activity where it’s some type of game and by the end of the lesson, and on Friday we test. That’s a typical day.”

Do you reward your students for doing something above and beyond?

“Students can get extra credit sometimes for super hard questions. But usually, the reward is their bravery.”

When did you learn the teaching style that you like?

“So, the teaching style that I learned, honestly, is still always still changing a little bit. So each year I do let something go that doesn’t help and I try to add something new. But, I don’t change a lot. I try to keep most of the stuff that works well and try a little something new each year. But it’s been my whole career. So, 27 years of trying different things. This is how I created my teaching style.”

What is your goal as a teacher?

“My goal as a teacher is to teach with some respect and to do my best to help people reach their goals by helping them with their education.”

Mrs. Matus

How would you describe a typical day?

“I get my agendas ready for students and I welcome students into class. Then I ask how their day is going and then we usually have 3 or 4 parts of the class. We have notes, we have writing, we have group work, and then we have an exit ticket.”

Do you reward your students for doing something above and beyond?

“I, yes, I give out candy for students who have work ready to go right away. That’s about the only thing for above and beyond.”

When did you learn the teaching style that you like?

“I think when I started teaching here at TMS in 2015, I learned from some other teachers and I learned from the principal and other classes too, so that’s where I learned, like sharpening my teaching style.”

What is your goal as a teacher?

“My goal is for students to feel confident in what they’re learning.”

Mr. Ruiz

How would you describe a typical day?

“It depends on what class. Like my second-period class, I have students who seem a bit quieter, but they’re all really, really friendly and seem to wanna be engaged. Overall, it’s pretty much mellow after that. They sometimes get loud, it’s fun. People are raising their hands, people are answering questions. People are sharing their stories. I would say it’s fun. It’s fun.”

Do you reward your students for doing something above and beyond?

“It depends. So, we had an assignment earlier and some students really did and I just gave them a point extra. But I just believe in praising them for doing their best. So, literally, it really depends on how above and beyond. Like I have students who participate all the time and I love that. So that participation helps boost their grade up.”

When did you learn the teaching style that you like?

“I guess I’ve never learned it, I just keep adding to it as the years go on and you know, it’s just my personality. It’s most likely just my personality. My style, nobody ever taught me anything. Nobody showed me how to do anything and it’s just what I’ve been doing in the last 6 years.”

What is your goal as a teacher?

“I tell my students this all the time,  they’re  never going to remember what I taught them, but they’re going to remember how they felt and they felt like they were loved and cared about, then I did my job.”

Miss. Valenzuela

How would you describe a typical day?

“A typical day in my class is crazy. We jump around a lot. We do different activities just to mix it up because I do think it’s important to keep them engaged and their attention present. So, hectic, but it’s fun. But it’s fun. It’s not in a bad way. It’s just always energized, I think. That’s what I think personally.”

Do you reward your students for doing something above and beyond?

“Yes! I do it randomly. So when they do something above and beyond, I think recognition is really important, so recognizing, like ‘wow, that’s really cool right? Sometimes I might do something small like I might give you some candy, and throw it at you. I’m just kidding. Or sometimes it’s a little bit more meaningful and deeper and I pause to recognize that person. So, it just depends on the thing. Like if they answer correctly that’s different from doing something kinda noble and good and their following good and grit and grace is here, so I’m keeping an eye on that.”

When did you learn the teaching style that you like?

“I think I’m still learning. I think I have to adjust every year because the students are sometimes different. Sometimes old things don’t work. But, I just try to keep it real with my students as much as possible. I think the goal is to prepare them to be in the real world and know how to interact and talk to each other. Things like that.”

What is your goal as a teacher?

“My goal as a teacher is to make sure that everybody can read. I think that reading is really important. You can learn a lot of stuff and if you can’t read, you struggle with a lot of other stuff. So I think in the short term, I’m always trying to have my students improve a little bit at a time to read. Like if they start at a fourth-grade level, maybe getting them to a 5th-grade level and just making sure that they aren’t afraid of what might be in reading in high school because it just builds up.”

The students speak out about what they like best about their teachers: 

Mr. Barry

“He’s really nice and he’s chill and his math is easy.”- Eilee Maines, Ryann Seal, and Ryan Anderson

“He gives out extra work, if you want to practice or if you don’t understand which is nice.” – Isabela

Mr. Carbajal

• “The math, it’s pretty easy. He makes it easy to learn math and then in PRIDE, he gives us time to do IReady. ” – Kevin Urcano-Camarillo
• “Well, in math, he reviews what he’s teaching a lot of times, so you can know what you’re doing, and in PRIDE, he plays music.” – Harlow Fortino

Mrs. Matus

• “She’s pretty nice and like if you don’t get how to do something, she’ll explain to you how to do it.” – Parker Coleman
• “I like how she has a strong curriculum, she knows what she’s teaching, has a fun and energetic attitude, and she’s not strict for the most part. It’s probably one of my top two favorite classes.” – Simon Falcioni

Mr. Ruiz 

“His personality.”- Luis Flores

“I like that he lets us work in groups.” Isabella

Miss. Valenzuela

• “She’s nice and funny.” – Brianna
• “That she’s nice, funny, and always gives us candy sometimes.” – Emma Hue

Do you have any teacher you want to know more about in next month’s article? If so, leave a comment!