Manuel Valdez is a new AVID teacher and Cheer Coach at Lively Middle School. He has been teaching for almost three years now before coming to Lively. I had the opportunity to interview him to get to know him better. Unfortunately, Valdez is no longer at Lively because he decided to take on a job at Google. His last day at Lively is today.
Is being at Lively your first time teaching?
No it’s not. I spent my first year teaching at Mendez middle school then I spent two years at Paredes middle school and finally my last half year at Lively.
How long have you been a teacher ?
I have been a teacher for three and a half years now.
Did you apply for another school before Lively ?
No, I applied from my other school, Paredes.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in Beeville, Texas.
What style is the best style of teaching for you ?
I teach with a very empathetic and communicative teaching style. I like to get to know my students and get to see what makes them comfortable because once you know someone it’s easy to get through to them and engage.
What is adversity you have faced in your life and how did you overcome it ?
Adversity I faced was being a first generation college student. I was the first in my family to go to a University. And that’s really hard because you have no one to look up to and no one to guide you on any of those things, and it’s really hard to understand the process and things you’re supposed to do and financial aid and things like that. But I overcame it because I was able to find people within my community when I was in high school who had gone to college and helped me in the process. When I was actually in college I had friends whose parents actually went to college and I asked them for help too. But for the most part relying on there’s helped me through it all.
What is it like being the cheer coach for Lively middle school ?
I loved helping out with cheer. I really enjoy coaching just because it’s fun to see students go from being shy and not knowing how to be a leader to someone who is outgoing, a leader in their community who teachers recommend for things and someone who people could rely on.
What grade is the best to teach ?
I taught 8th grade the most but I got to say that 7th grade was really awesome to teach this year, no hate.
Why are you moving schools ?
I’m moving out of education to take on a job at Google. My larger goal is to enter law school to become an education lawyer.
What will you miss about Lively ?
I’ll miss a lot about life. I enjoyed coming into this community. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming, it’s been a nice change of pace. I’m going to miss the students the most just because y’all are so different and yall have such great personalities. I’m just so excited and to see what the future holds for y’all. I’m also going to miss GoGuardian, Ms. Vincent, and Ms. Florey.
