Teachers Who Care

For Teacher Appreciation Week—May 2-6—Patch decided to shine light on some great schools that often go greatly unnoticed by the public at large. Throughout the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, students and teachers are sharing what makes a good educator.

There's the precalculus teacher who eats lunch with his students, a leadership instructor who students feel they can open up to about their problems and the history teacher who's always finding new ways to keep students engaged in the class.

Watsonville High has great educators, a group of students told Patch earlier this month. The nine female students—two sophomores, three juniors and four seniors—took a few minutes to talk about what makes a good teacher.

"I think, in the end, it's always going to be that they're nice," senior Karina Gomez said.

"And they have some faith in you," Isabella Hernandez said.

The girls offered up some of their favorite WHS instructors:

• Juan Carlos Pozo, Spanish: "Some classes are very tedious, but this one you actually feel yourself learning and it's worth it," Gomez said.
• Ms. Bambi, leadership: "She was really sweet and you could talk to her about your problems," Hernandez said, adding that the teacher goes by just one name. "She's like Madonna."
• Hilary Klagger, history: "I like all my teachers," said Jessica Espinoza, before declaring Klagger is her favorite. "She's just a teacher who understands you." Daisy Zamora added, "she's always making things fun."
• The librarian, Sophia Ceja: "She's the sweetest, nicest girl in the whole world," Hernandez said. Gomez chimed in, "You just feel so welcome with her."
• Mary Jimenez, Spanish: "She's just really nice," Joanna Ayala said.
• Stephen Buchter, precalculus: "We just like spending time with him," said Sheila Lopez, a senior. She added that the teacher sponsored her in this weekend's Human Race in Santa Cruz.
• Gerardo Loyola is an amazing teacher, students said. "He makes the classes fun," said Ruby Robledo. "When he teaches them, there are jokes in between. You never fall asleep in his class." 

But being nice isn't all of it. The girls said they prefer teachers who push them, especially early in the term.