Selma High’s newest Spanish teacher, Pilar Peña, enjoys his time teaching Spanish for the first time. Although this is Mr. Peña’s first time teaching Spanish, this is not his first time in a school environment.
Prior to coming to Selma, Mr. Peña began his teaching career as a physical education teacher in Madera. He then made his way to Selma, joining the faculty at Indianola Elementary School. With a love of teaching, Mr. Peña wanted to continue this career but was ready for new experiences and challenges. Becoming a Spanish 1 teacher at Selma High was the perfect opportunity.
Spanish is Mr. Peña’s native language so teaching the subject seemed like the perfect fit. Now, he is able to use his knowledge of the language to provide guidance for students learning Spanish for the first time. Besides teaching Spanish, Mr. Peña teaches his students the value of respect. This can be seen in his classroom as he constantly reminds his students to respect each other both in and out of the classroom.
Though teaching at the high school level is different compared to teaching at an elementary school, Mr. Peña reveals that Selma High’s atmosphere has been nothing but positive.
“Teachers have been very welcoming,” says Mr. Peña. “Anywhere you walk, they’re always saying, ‘Hi.’ They invite you into the classroom and want to have a conversation with you. So it’s great!”
The friendliness provided by colleagues and students has allowed Mr. Peña to quickly enjoy his time at SHS.
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Peña remains busy being a father of two. He has a daughter starting her freshman year of high school and a son in the 5th grade. Similar to the lessons he teaches his students, Mr. Peña teaches his children the importance of remaining humble and working hard in all that they do. Mr. Peña also enjoys staying physically active. He loves spending time in the gym and can be found golfing in his spare time.
