Teacher
Spotlight Jon Torres
8th grade US History teacher Why do I teach? I teach because I love history and I enjoy working with kids. The day-to-day challenges in the classroom actually make me want to come to work. I love my students because they are hilarious, and they work hard for me. For some of my top students, I don’t let them celebrate anything below a 95, and while they may be angry teenagers with me at times, they’ve always finished the year thanking me for being hard on them.
Secondary Teacher of the Year 2020-2021
I also really enjoy working with our young athletes. This year I had the pleasure of coaching the JH Cross Country team. We won the district championship and we celebrated, but our team motto is “stay humble”. It was awesome to see a group of young men work hard, win, and remain grounded and ready for their next season. What inspires you? I am most inspired by my own previous teachers and coaches. I respect how good they were at explaining things and mentoring me. I think a lot of our young boys just need a good mentor to show them the ropes in athletics and life.
Lauren Denison 3rd grade teacher
Why do I teach? Teaching allows me to be over the top enthusiastic, to dance and sing when the mood strikes (you can sing directions to anything with a good tune), to play like a kid, and to laugh at silly things. Teaching also allows me to be the protector for so many people at a time in their lives when they need as many cheering fans as possible. Being a good teacher is not just the dedication and hard work of one individual. Instead, it is a community of students, peers, and family members embracing that teacher, inspiring them to reach their full potential so that they can in turn pass all that love, support, and knowledge on to their students. Why do I love my students? Every year, I find joy in learning the individual personalities of each of my students. From there, I can connect learning for them in a way that they will really understand. My students make me laugh and keep me young. My days are never boring or redundant. Now that I have been teaching for 18 years, I am getting to see what great people my former students are becoming. I hope that I helped them along that journey and the lessons they learned have stayed with them.
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• Gainesville SPOTlight • Winter 2021
Elementary Teacher of the Year 2020-2021
