Omaha South High teacher Cesar Castellanos said he became a teacher to make an impact in students’ lives and to be a role model in his community since there is not much representation of the culture.
“It is important to communicate with others, and I fell in love with the culture,” he said.
Castellanos enjoys teaching and is proud to be a Spanish teacher.
“What I enjoy about teaching is working with students, building connections with them and being able to teach them something new every day,” he said.
Castellanos also shared the biggest challenges he has faced during his teaching career.
“My biggest challenges were mostly at the beginning of my career — struggling to find my own teaching style, managing the classroom and grading,” he said.
He said his strengths as a teacher include making students comfortable in the classroom and being accessible so they can ask him anything about school or talk to him about things beyond academics.
To someone who wants to become a teacher, Castellanos said that “it is a really rewarding job or career where you can make a difference in someone’s life. Even if it’s just one person, it’s really special — and we’re in need of bilingual teachers.”
As a teacher, Castellanos said he has changed his teaching methods since he began his career. He is not as serious or structured as he used to be.
“I now realize not everything has to be in order, and it’s not always possible,” he said. “I am more flexible now, and if students don’t understand, I try to change my ways of teaching so it’s easier for them to understand.”
In his free time, Castellanos said he stays active by running or playing soccer. He also enjoys being outdoors, especially hiking.
“I’m not big on watching TV or playing video games. I enjoy being outside in nature,” he said.
Castellanos shared what he would tell seniors before they graduate.
“I know this is cliché, but I would say to follow your dreams, take risks, do something you are passionate about and turn that into your career,” he said.
