Written by: Sakura Snyder, Staff Writer
INSPIRING: Mr. Mejia comes to Poly, ready for students.
Dressed in a full suit, Mr. Mejia can be seen stepping out of his classroom every period, holding the door open for his students whilst smiling and greeting them all. Formerly a substitute teacher for a myriad of schools in the district, Mr. Mejia has an exciting history as to how he approached his first year officially as a history teacher at Poly.
In his family, Mr. Mejia was the first person to graduate high school and go to college. The reason he had such academic aspirations for himself was because of the motivational educators and staff that surrounded him. “Teachers challenged me and encouraged me to have confidence in myself,” he explains. The person who particularly inspired him the most was the administrator, Ron Robbins. He helped implement programs such as AVID and college preparation classes into Mr. Mejia’s life which further encouraged his success. Due to this academic guidance and aid that he received from others, Mr. Mejia wants to “help his students the same way” and encourage them to be the best possible individuals that they can be.
Mr. Mejia values the success of his students highly—and this can be shown through his variety of techniques he uses in order to set his students up for the future. For instance, he aims to provide them with whatever they might need and teach them in multiple ways. Since everyone learns differently, he plans to diversify his classroom by including a vast variety of podcasts, educational videos, reading, and more. Mr. Mejia also believes that creating a “welcoming and safe atmosphere” is vital for achieving the best possible learning space for his students. Currently, he is in the ongoing pursuit of “get[ting his] students hooked into the subject matter.”
As for his personal experience with students specifically, Mr. Mejia has had a very positive experience so far. “They come into class with respect and have maturity,” he remarks. He feels very “lucky to have them” and thinks that his students are a “good group” overall.
Because of his substituting history for the RUSD district, some students remember Mr. Mejia. Regardless of whether or not this is the case, he looks forward to getting to know his students better. Poly welcomes you, and we wish you luck on this journey, Mr. Mejia!