Hello everyone,
My name is Dario Avila. I am currently working as a long term substitute teacher and assistant football coach at Birmingham Community Charter High School in Lake Balboa. I will begin student teaching in January out of my assigned classroom. My subject is Mathematics and I am currently teaching Algebra 1 and Geometry.
I am originally from El Paso, Texas, but I have been living in Los Angeles since August 2003. I earned my bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and I am excited to be completing my single subject credential in Mathematics from National University soon. Education and athletic competition are my two passions in life. I was fortunate to have had some great teachers and coaches throughout my youth that taught me valuable lessons about life. It was through these mentors that I was able to believe in myself and overcome any of life's challenges. I want nothing more in life than to pay it back to the community and help as many people as possible.
The personality tests reveal that I am left-brain dominant. I generally agree with that assessment. Although, I am not a very organized person (one just needs one peek into my car or desk at work), I need structure and organization in my life to function. I do not enjoy working somewhere that has irregular hours and little to no structure. I like to have a plan, and then have to execute that plan. In the classroom, it is essential to have a pacing plan and a unit plan to guide the instruction. However, it must allow for flexibility when certain units require longer periods of reteaching. As a football coach, organization and planning is also very important. Goals must be set and there needs to be a plan in place to attain those goals. After each practice or game, I meet with the other staff and maybe the team captains to brainstorm ideas of how the team can improve. I am comfortable taking tests. I treat life like a competition. There are always benchmarks that must be reached. When I fall short of attaining certain goals, I know that it is time for me to go back to the drawing board and come up with an action plan to either adjust my goals or formulate a new strategy for success. These are traits that I believe will translate well into the classroom. It is important to constantly reflect and determine what went right, what went wrong, and what can be done to get better.
A little encouragement can go a long way to helping someone. I will work hard to ensure that I plan my lessons in a way that maximizes the students' abilities. I believe that teaching and coaching are one and the same. As I grow and improve as a teacher, I will undoubtedly grow as a coach. I look forward to the challenges and rewards that are in store for me in education.
Sincerely,
Dario Avila
