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Why MPUSD » Jorge Reyes: 'They are just so bright and they have the capacity to soak it all in'

Jorge Reyes: 'They are just so bright and they have the capacity to soak it all in'

Photo of Jorge ReyesJorge Reyes

Mathematics and STEM Teacher

Los Arboles Middle School


When Los Arboles Middle School mathematics and STEM teacher Jorge Reyes took car drives from Los Angeles to Monterey to relax and escape the daily hustle and bustle, little did he know he would find himself at Marina State Beach reflecting on life.


“Every time I would come to Monterey, I would wonder what the schools are like,” said Jorge. “I even drove by Los Arboles Middle School and wondered if it would be cool to teach there one day not knowing that later in life I would be teaching here. I didn’t wish it, it was just a wonder.”


That wonder became reality in the spring of 2022 when he interviewed and was offered a teaching position at Los Arboles. Jorge began his first year teaching at LAMS this 2022-2023 school year where he teaches mathematics and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).


Jorge has been teaching for 14 years and comes to the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District from Southern California. His original path was not education. He attended California State University Los Angeles to pursue a degree in electrical engineering, but he didn’t feel the calling. He began tutoring students at CSULA and thought it was fun and a nice feeling to help people. He quickly shifted his studies to child development, yet still was unsure about the early years. He finished his bachelor's degree in mathematics, received his credential and found himself teaching middle school students in 2008.

 

 


“I like teaching middle school. Everyday is a different day for middle school students. At this age they need a lot of support, grounding and someone to care for them consistently,” says Jorge. “I have been able to adapt in middle school and I want to stay in middle school. I know this is where I will feel needed.”


“I have a whole lot of stuff I can bring into our community,” Jorge said. In his role, he gets to grow the STEM program. “I do less direct instruction and more discovery. I ask ‘what if you do this or what if you do that’ and let the students experiment. It’s been eye opening and I can see their level of confidence with touching and working with wires increase 100 percent from where they started.”


Jorge sees one of the biggest opportunities is to invest in STEM beyond middle school. He wants to provide a bridge for elementary and through the work he is doing at middle he feels he can change the love of STEM into high school and even ultimately college.  


“I want students to have opportunities because when they go to high school they will explore. I want to give everyone an opportunity. I am really focused on providing young girls an opportunity to engage in this only because as you move into the workforce (you only see) primarily males. Through outreach and publicity we can switch those numbers” says Jorge.


Jorge expresses his love of LAMS. His love of the teachers and his love of the students. “My number one rule is respect. As much as I expect you to respect me, I want to respect you and being able to connect and make those connections I’ve seen a huge turnaround,” he says. “Students want to absorb everything. They are just so bright and they have the capacity to soak it all in.”


Jorge is inspired to take his work to the next level next year, looking to focus on networking and connecting with companies, non-profits, and our community as partners . “I feel like I’m not done because I just got started,” he said.