Hughson High School has welcomed a new teacher to campus, Steven Cervantes. It is his first year teaching in the Agricultural Department. When asked why he decided to become a teacher, he said that was a “jam-packed answer.” Cervantes explained that it all started with his agricultural teachers when he was in high school. “They played a big role… It’s just overall their support, the confidence they instilled in me, and the values they gave me to travel outside of my comfort zone to really find a passion for agriculture,” he said. He wants to do the same thing for his students by “planting a seed of curiosity” and making his classroom a place where students feel safe but also challenged. A student of Cervantes, Emma Carne, said, “I like going to his class, not to really learn anything, but he’s one of my favorite teachers on campus.”
He also talked about how important standards are to his teaching. “They’re embedded in my classroom,” he said. “These standards are kind of like the imprint I utilize to make sure I follow my philosophy… allowing students to communicate, collaborate and have a creative mindset.” Cervantes doesn’t like to just talk at the students. “I bring my past experience, stories of accidents I’ve seen or friends have gone through because students take more from the stories themselves. It sticks with the students,” he stated.
Cervantes takes a certain approach to his students’ bad behaviors. He tries to get to know the students in order to understand them more. “Sometimes life happens, and we have to take that into consideration,” he says. If a student is acting out, he prefers to talk to them and figure out what is going on. He tries to make his classroom environment welcoming. He likes to ask the students questions like, “Would you rather skydive or deep ocean dive?” He also likes to greet students with a high five and even some fist bumps. He always makes sure he takes care of students who might need extra help or students who aren’t understanding the material in front of them. Cervantes also brings a great quality—helping those who might not understand English. For students who only speak Spanish, he tries to help them understand by also speaking Spanish, even though he is not fluent. Just because he is not fluent does not lessen his love and passion for helping students learn and excel in his classroom. “Their safety is my priority,” he said. “He is very good at trying to keep my classmates and I safe while operating machines in the shop,” said one of his workshop students, Jordan Terry. He always tries to make sure everyone feels safe, included, and able to learn in a way that works for them.
Overall, Cervantes goes above and beyond for his students and is very excited to see and experience where his first year of teaching takes him.
