“Funny story, I never thought I was going to be a teacher. I thought about it as a kid but never pursued it. I actually wanted to be a police officer. I decided to work at a school and thats where I found my true calling. My newfound passion for teaching science, and my number one is the students. I love what I do because of them, they keep me going. I definitely feel a sense that these kids depend on me to show up everyday and be here for them, and I love that. I love that I can be a role model or someone that they look up to. I show up everyday for them! When I hear a student say, “Miss you’re my favorite teacher” or “Thank you for being the best teacher I’ve had”. That keeps me going.” Biology teacher Diana Albitre said.

“My style of teaching is traditional; I love to teach them and do powerpoint’s and projects. I like going up in front of the class and teach the students. I love to change it up for them and do fun things in my class. I also try to create a fun and safe environment for my students. I decorated my classroom to make it calmer and more comfortable, so I hope its a class that they actually look forward to. I always strive to be the teacher or just person that I never had or wanted. Teaching is definitely not for the weak. It is a tough job. You need to have tough skin but also be empathetic with students. Let your passion for teaching shine and inspire your students. We also never know what these kids are going through outside of school so sometimes we just need to listen and hear them out. They need compassion,” Albitre said.

“I had a very rough upbringing. I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles where it was gang infested, crime was high, I saw violence, and drugs. I was exposed to a toxic environment. I seen so much growing up and I knew that if I didn’t get out there, I probably would have gone down a dark path. This is why I try to be a positive influence on these kids because I don’t want them to go down that path that I saw so many of my friends go down when I was their age,” Albitre said.