Joel Laguna
Teacher
Thomas Starr King Middle School
Los Angeles, CA United States
“I really come to work with a smile on my face every single day, and that's what it's all about, right?”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationJoel Laguna
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
While he was studying at UCLA, his friend asked him if he'd help him tutor some Spanish-speaking kids.
He fell in love with tutoring; realized that if he was willing do it on the weekends for free, he could definitely pursue teaching as a career.
Makes a point of not bringing out an "alter-ego" when he's in the classroom; says, "Who I am as a teacher is who I am in life."
When he first started, other teachers thought he was just the "fun" teacher who wasn't actually educating his kids.
Once his students' test scores turned out to be consistently better than the other students', those other teachers started realizing they should lighten up.
He was the first of his family to go to college, so his mother didn't always know how to support him through that experience.
That helps him relate to his students, many of whom are from low-income families, would also be first-generation college students.
Says he loves his job so much that he comes to work with a smile on his face every single day.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Teacher
Creating, collaborating, and constantly trying to be on the cutting edge of how I can get kids to learn every day.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Writing
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
I work to create a positive educational climate for students to learn in while meeting course and school-wide student performance goals. I create lesson plans, grade papers and perform other administrative duties as needed.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Get experience in a lot of different ways. Tutor, volunteer, etc.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"If I don't get this right, then I must be doing something wrong."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
First-Generation College Student
Interviewed By
The Road to TEACH
Teaching takes many forms
