east side mentality

By Wesley Bevell

The first thing you must know about Rigo Chacon Jr’s job is that it’s hard, especially if you have a big heart.

Chacon: “But, it’s hard if you care, that’s what I’ll say, and I care.”

It is that very word, “care” that speaks volumes on what kind of teacher Chacon is. This commitment to his job isn’t a simple role as an advice giver, this is the role of a teacher, a role that will define who he is in the high school of Yerba Buena.

This is the school that even though he initially thought he’d leave eventually as his original plan was to not stay for long, suggesting work in Santa Clara or even another school in the Eastside Union.

Luckily, he would stay, and represent as a core of what every teacher is expected to be for students.

Chacon, who teaches the Expository Reading and Writing Course, isn't there for just money. He’s there to prepare the next generation of adults to step into this larger world. El Otro Lado, if you’ve taken his class. 

His primary objective in YB isn’t to be a friend, it’s to be a teacher, one that teaches the future for many.

Chacon: "The ability to have an impact on students, right? To teach them skills to prep them for life after high school.” 

For a teacher of this belief, he focuses on standards, honing the practical skills of students. For instance, he believes politics shouldn’t be a major thing to focus on, none of the “democrats are doing this” or “republicans are doing that”. 

He enters class with the mindset to teach, no matter what your opinions are on how the country should be run. He feels this is where he is most effective. 

His thoughts on where he is most effective at is the future generation of young adults: 

Chacon: "I think the older seventeen, eighteen, is my willhouse, that's where I'm most effective.” 

He clarifies what he believes is important to not only his job, but his belief.

Chacon: "It’s a time, as I said before, that I can kind of teach them what I think will help them most after they leave this campus."

The best part of class to Chacon is finding student growth. He remembers years where a student would perform not so well in their first semester and suddenly rise to be “rockstars” in the second semester. But students aren’t the only ones growing day by day. 

Chacon: "So I always learn something from kids, and that's the fun part, is when a student can teach me something.” 

Chacon recounts a transgender student he taught and learned from. It inspired him to understand what approach and language that many students like her would appreciate and his eventual research on the topic. 

Chacon believes that a student that promotes collaboration and curiosity are great strengths to have in a classroom.

Chacon: "But I think boredom is our fault.” 

He encourages students to attempt to find interest in school topics. 

A quote he has in his class that sticks with me is: “Pay attention or act like you are paying attention.” I feel as if when I stick to that advice, it helps me understand material. 

By pretending to be interested in topics, I actually gain real interest in that topic. 

To do his part in finding interest in his student’s personal lives and connecting with them at the beginning of class, he asks students to answer whatever prompt they choose from a list of many questions about struggles they’ve encountered in life to favorite books they liked. He often reads these journal entries to better grasp his student’s interests, whether it be sports, news, or personal hobbies.

I had asked out of personal interest about a small protest I saw him supporting with a bunch of other teachers that my friends and I recognized regarding wages. He shows a willingness to help colleagues, not himself, as he states he is fine off without the benefits. 

Chacon: "To show that I’m a team player, also that I care about those issues as well." 

Chacon’s class, the “Chaconzone”, has been shaped and characterized by honesty and dedication to doing his objective of teaching students. 

He believes the campus could benefit from diversity as different experiences are always welcomed to YB, though he still enjoys this school for what it is and what it represents. 

While some students in his class may struggle with Hamlet, a subject he personally enjoys teaching and recommends to students is the Juvenile Justice Unit. He personally saves it for the second semester as he believes it opens eyes for students with the documentaries and articles he shows. 

Whether it’s getting into his mindset of teaching, watching academic comebacks, or enjoying the school’s unique Fantastics, Rigo Chacon Jr. believes that if you put in the effort and truly care, you will make impacts that will last a lifetime.