Changing the world one student at a time

By Ryan L

Every teacher is unique, with their own teaching methods and ways of engaging their students. A lot of students really struggle transitioning into high school, and how a teacher teaches can be the difference between whether that student feels fulfilled or not.

Mr. Chacon's inventive methods of incorporating real-life events into his lessons, while also retaining some of the classic parts of the English curriculum when teaching, are just a few of the elements that demonstrate his passion and love for teaching.

Mr. Chacon: “I love teaching young people, young minds, and young energy, in many ways, young people are open books.”

Just like how Mr. Chacon said that young people are similar to that of open books, young people are generally more perceptive to new ideas, an “open book” that has so many more empty pages to write on. When we are younger, we tend to learn more quickly and we are able to take this information and apply it to our daily lives. Mr. Chacon also has a reason as to why he specifically teaches high school students.

Mr. Chacon: “I think there's adults in many that are convinced. I think young people are more malleable. They are curious.”

Compared to younger people, older adults prefer to stick to what they are familiar with. It's ingrained in them, much like a traditional sense. Mr. Chacon stated that, while he enjoys working with adults, collaborating is not the same as teaching adults. Adults, as previously stated, are more likely to be confident in their own opinions. Younger people, on the other hand, are more receptive to these new "streams" of information and ideas.

Mr. Chacon: “I do teach the curriculum but I try to be as creative as possible with it.”

In a classroom, every student learns differently; some students just aren’t as interested in the classroom as others. While other teachers may see that as a nuisance, Mr. Chacon sees those students as an opportunity to challenge himself and get those students to be engaged.

Mr. Chacon: “[I] try to stoke the fire a little bit and get them to realize how capable they are.”

Of course, doing that isn’t just a stroll in the park, but one thing Mr. Chacon does in the classroom to try and catch his students interests by introducing current topics/events that his students may be interested in into his lessons or just general discussions.

Mr. Chacon: “We try to cover various topics that students are interested in. So, like I said, we still stick to stuff like Shakespeare, but I tried to bring in topics that we could talk about—rap lyrics or current movies or trends.

Although the whole lesson doesn’t have to be about those topics, keeping the instruction varied keeps students interested while offering insight into everyday things we always experience.

Some of the most important parts of his lessons are about current events in the world. For example, we recently completed a project called "Ecological Proposal," in which we were required to devise a method to help humans and our "Earth" coexist. Incorporating topics like these into the classroom helps address real-world problems like climate change while also nudging his students to delve deeper into these real-world issues.

Everyone has something to pass on to the next generation in this world. For Mr. Chacon, his unique way of teaching and engaging his students allows us to enjoy school and more importantly, opens the door for us to be more aware of the world and problems around us. Whether it be from the eyes of a freshman new to his class or alumni looking back on high school, it’s safe to say that Mr. Chacon left a positive mark on his students.