CORPUS CHRISTI, TX— Ms. Saenz, a dedicated teacher, shared her journey that led to her becoming a math teacher and the obstacles she faces at Flour Bluff High School. 

“When I was in 3rd grade I had a teacher named Mrs.Thompson and she was my math teacher, and ever since then, I wanted to be like her,” Saenz recalled. “I changed my mind along the way but I came back to teaching. I think the realization that people hated math and struggled so much to the point of even crying sometimes, was the reason why I wanted to become a math teacher.”

With three years of teaching under her belt, Saenz has experienced both middle school and high school levels. “I’ve taught 1 year of 7th grade and 2 years of high school.  I’ve taught Algebraic Reasoning and, this year, Math Models. When I was student teaching, I taught 5th grade and 6th grade,” she shared, highlighting her diverse teaching background. 

Saenz candidly admitted, “Some challenges I face when I teach are consistency. I get tired very easily with all the discipline issues and with having to repeat things over and over, so being consistent is something I struggle with sometimes. An overload of work, there’s always lots of things to do.”

In addition to just teaching math, Saenz takes the responsibility of being a student council sponsor this year. “This year my role in the student council is to be the sponsor. This means that I’m in charge of the kids and everything that they want to do. It’s not me wanting to do stuff, it’s whatever they want to do, and I help them plan it,” she explained.

Reflecting on her students, Saenz acknowledged the diverse mix of personalities, 

“I get a wide variety of students that hate coming to school and just want to be home. Then I have other students who want to succeed in everything that they do. It’s interesting to see both of them in one school and even interact with each other.”

Saenz’s dedication to her students and her ability to overcome challenges make her not just a math teacher but a great mentor to help shape our future leaders. Her story highlights the power of passion and perseverance in education, reminding many of the impact a dedicated teacher can have on students.