What makes each teacher unique are their roots and background, and science teacher Isael Aguirre exemplifies this. Aguirre is a new addition to the science department and is currently teaching NGS2.
Deciding on a new workplace always comes with stress and overwhelming feelings, but for Aguirre, it was a simple decision. Aguirre’s parents, and many of his family members, attended Alisal High. When he heard there was a spot open at Alisal, he was ready to take it. “Not only that but hearing good things about the school from both the staff and the teachers is what made me come here,” Aguirre said.
His previous job was at Soledad High as a Special Education teacher. “The transition is different. From focusing more on behaviors and trying to fix them to focusing more on the academic side,” Aguirre said. Changing jobs is something that takes a while to adjust but people here at Alisal seem to take a simpler route. “The students and the staff, everyone is really friendly,” he said. “People are always smiling, opening doors, and just respectful.”
He attended Hartnell College and after a few years, he transferred to UC Santa Cruz where he majored in Applied Physics. “As a kid, I probably wanted to work with engineering and make new products but I also wanted to help people, so with teaching, I got to do that,” Aguirre said. However, the inspiration to become a teacher doesn’t happen by itself. It wasn’t until he was 20 that he got the chance to work at a high school and realized he enjoyed it. So when it was time to look for a job he knew that he still wanted to be part of the school district.
Some of the hobbies that Aguirre has include playing video games and car racing. Valorant is one of his favorite games since it involves a lot of communication between players. During weekends he takes his Honda Civic Type R to either Thunderhill or Buttonwillow Raceway. He has been doing it for about 3 years and said his favorite thing is the adrenaline of driving around the track and trying to improve. “Being on the track, also, lets me test the limit of my car and myself while doing it in a safe controlled environment.”
In the future, he hopes to improve his skills as a teacher no matter how small the lesson is. He makes sure that his students get to approach math and science in a way that makes them see that those topics can be fun if you perceive them with the right mindset. “I hope students take away that learning can be fun and they find appreciation for science,” Aguirre said.
