Volume 26, Issue 4
Tuesday October 22, 2013
Spotlight on Professor Tino Gomez Written by Jessica Brown taught alongside his former Spanish instructor, Dominic Scafaria. The two taught in adjacent classrooms and became such close friends and colleagues that when Professor Gomez left Arizona for graduate school, Scafaria retired, feeling that his own career as an educator had come full circle. Gomez has always had a passion for education since he began teaching 15 years ago. When questioned about why he decided to become a teacher Gomez explains, “This is going to sound cheesy, but I do mean Photo by Jessica Brown it. I’m a ‘Gomez,’ -- I come from a Hispanic Tino Gomez is a native of the background. My grandparents did Southwest. He grew up in Mesa, not have the privileges I had. My Arizona, graduated from Arizona State grandparents lucked out with a sixth University with a bachelor’s degree in grade education, and that’s as far as English and was a high school teacher they went. My parents, on the other at Mountain View, the high school hand – they realized the importance Gomez attended. He likens his high of education. They went to college, school teaching experience to the TV and they were professionals. They show “Welcome Back, Kotter,” about did very well and I wanted to follow a man who returns to his high school in their shoes. It was important to alma mater to teach a group of unruly me to do the best I could. I knew that students. At Mountain View, Gomez
they had made sacrifices for me. I’ve always wanted to make them proud. I’ve always wanted them to feel comfortable with my choices in life and feel like, ‘Okay, Tino’s doing what he’s doing, and he’s in an admirable profession.’ Which – I feel teaching is one of the most admirable.” After eight years, Gomez wanted to do something other than teach high school, so he applied to Naropa University and made the move to Boulder, Colorado. In preparation for the move to Colorado, says Gomez, “I sold my house. I sold my car. The only thing I kept were my clothes, my records, and my books.” While at Naropa, Tino Gomez attended the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in poetry. “Honestly, those were two of the most creatively productive years of my life” he says, and “I met writers that I have admired most of my life.” Gomez was published a number of times during his two years at Naropa. In the spring of 2007 he was also selected to read his work in the prestigious 4x4 Reading Series as a representative of Naropa’s MFA program. Says Gomez, “to be chosen to represent my college was one of my greatest
In This Issue… Hot Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Where the Wolves Go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Culture and Creativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
FRCC Amongst Other Schools to Go Paperless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Spotlight On: Astronomy Club. . . . . . . . 5 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Whacky Halloween Costumes. . . . . . . . 11 FRCC Changes in Math Department Developmental Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
accomplishments as a student. I felt fortunate to be chosen.” While attending Naropa, Gomez made many new friends; among them an adjunct professor at FRCC. In the summer of 2007 she told him she would be leaving Front Range to move to Berlin to pursue her PHd just as he was finishing his course work at Naropa and asked if he would be interested in filling her position; he was. Tino Gomez has been a professor at FRCC since the fall of 2007. Gomez believes that “a successful student-teacher relationship is reciprocal in nature, both the student and the teacher are required to bring their best and both should be held accountable for their contributions. When I witness students having ‘aha’ moments in class it is inspiring, but when those epiphanies are accompanied by students who challenge and teach me there is really nothing more I can ask for because everyone is doing their part by equally contributing to the educational experience.” The most important piece of advice Gomez has to give to students is “Know when to ask for help.” He continues by explaining that, as students, we sometimes have a hard time accepting that we need help. He says that knowing and accepting when to ask for assistance is a practice in taking ownership of our education and understanding that learning is not a passive process but one which we have a significant amount of control over.” Gomez continues, “an important lesson I learned as a college student and something I am reminded daily as a teacher is to exercise a willingness
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