Teachers are the backbone to our society, and what holds our society together. They are tasked with raising, preparing, and encouraging the next generation to go on and accomplish big things.
It is a looming task, so when all is said and done, what truly inspires our teachers to take on this enormous responsibility?
When it comes to teachers at Los Osos, there are various reasons for teachers to take on their positions. Ranging from personal experiences in school, to passion for a subject, to the want to have a lasting impact on today’s youth, every teacher has a different story.
Mrs. Hartz teaches Spanish I and III classes, alongside managing CSF at Osos. Her passion for what she does and the language she is able to share with her students is refreshing and heartening to students.
Hartz’s ultimate inspiration for her position as a teacher at Osos comes from her love for the Spanish subject. After traveling and spending a year abroad in Spain during school, Hartz came back with a new perspective on her career path.
When asked about what motivated her to pursue teaching, Hartz said, “I think it’s a beautiful thing to learn about a culture that has nothing to do with yourself. I just hope kids look at me and think, ‘She’s not perfect at Spanish, but si, se puede. It’s not even just about Spain or just about Spanish, it’s just about being curious, because so many Americans are not. It’s just to get people curious about different cultures that aren’t their own and learning about them, really showing an interest, because that’s what makes the world a more peaceful place.”
The personal experience that sparked Hartz’s interest in her job continues to bring her a reason to instill passion in her students regarding their education and, hopefully, light that same spark for them.
We as teachers, no matter what district we’re in, have to go to the foundation of what it means to be a teacher and how to reach every single student”
— Mr. Pachecano
There are, of course, thousands of different schools nationwide, each with differing atmospheres and students. Teaching is not always a smooth and paved road.
Coming from a district handling a lower budget and students with less opportunities, permanent substitute and history teacher, Mr. Pachecano finds value in his job regardless of what atmosphere he is teaching in.
When asked about the difference between his previous students and his current students, Pachecano said, “Coming from a different district where the majority of the obstacles I faced as a teacher were more classroom management, I’m able to understand how to help my students become better people and better students. Coming to Los Osos, which has been a blessing, has helped me to improve more as a teacher by focusing more on the academic perspective. There’s no such thing as a perfect school. We as teachers, no matter what district we’re in, have to go to the foundation of what it means to be a teacher and how to reach every single student.”
Despite teaching students of various backgrounds, Pachecano is able to find a certain charm to his job that brings encouragement to continue giving his students all of his effort in the classroom.
Although every student carries a different story as to what got them into teaching, there is one common thing that keeps them going; their students.
The collective desire to eventually send students off into the world after they graduate as adults that are both intellectually educated and emotionally educated is a goal that all teachers share, and is an aspiration that they work toward every day.