IN EVERYONE’S life, change is bound to happen one way or another; And sometimes it can happen when it’s least expected. Mr. Timothy is an AVID 9 & Freshmen success teacher who helps students with leadership skills, organization techniques, and job interviews. Mr. Timothy is retiring and has decided to step down from his teaching career. 2024 will be his final year teaching.
Although Mr. Timothy, himself, says that he is old, he does not feel old at all. His positive attitude towards students with either his jokes or his format of teaching makes him a popular teacher. Mr. Timothy has had many careers in his life, but now he feels that his time to retire has finally come.
“Have I enjoyed my time here in Granger High? It has been the funnest work I have ever done, and yet it has also been the hardest work I have ever done — I have absolutely loved my time here at Granger,” Timothy said.
When Mr. Timothy was in the ninth grade, he had always wanted to become a teacher; He originally wanted to become an art teacher, but things never work exactly how you want them to, yet he had never lost sight of being a teacher.
Mr. Timothy has helped many students. But one student, Andrea Curiel (11), has had Mr. Timothy by her side since she was in the ninth grade. She even asked Mr. Timothy to be her chaperone in the drill showcase event. In the beginning of her time here at Granger, she says that Mr. Timothy helped her with time management, with schoolwork, with sports, and with problems in her school and personal life.
Timothy was a great mentor to Curiel — she and many other students are sad to see him retire. He has always been there for his students, and he is always welcoming everyone with his funny jokes and kind attitude.
“The main reason why I have loved working here so much is because—and I know it’s gonna sound cliché — is because of the students. The students have made working at Granger so much fun, and I love the diversity of Granger High,” Timothy said.
“When I was being interviewed at different schools, I did not like how so many of the schools did not have enough diversity. I did not like how when you walked into a classroom, you didn’t see many different skin tones or ethnicities. I personally believe that having that diversity is important, and it makes the classroom fun,” Timothy concluded.
When a person gathers much experience throughout their life, they try to give advice to other people to better their experiences. Mr. Timothy says had three very distinct careers in his life, which include being a salesman, construction worker, and finally being a teacher. With plenty of experience, Mr. Timothy talks about how the only advice that he would give to himself and to everyone around him would be to follow your dreams and to never give up.
Mr. Timothy has taught at Granger for twelve years, and he has made many memories here. Some stand out as his favorite memories that he made at Granger High.
“I’ve thought about my favorite memories, and to be fairly honest, I don’t believe that I have any favorite individual memories. Instead, I look at my time here at Granger, and I think of it as one big memory for me. I have had really personal and great moments here, but I know that out of all the days, I enjoy the first days of school and graduation day the most,” Timothy said.
“The first days of school are so fun to me because I get to see and feel the fear and excitement in the eyes of the freshman, and I get to see how they feel adjusting to a new environment and their new classmates. Those memories are really special to me. I also love graduation days. When I hear the names of the students I taught as freshman and now know that they made it through high school—it just gives me a warm feeling. I will never forget that feeling.” Timothy said.
“I cherish the memories when former students come and say ‘hi’ to me. It just makes a teacher feel good, and it lets them know that they did good. It’s nice to know I taught a great student and a great person,” Timothy added.
“In the end, I can’t just pick just one specific memory because they are all great memories that I will cherish forever,” Timothy said.
Mr. Timothy’s students should know that he had long luscious hair before becoming a teacher. But for some reason, he decided to get rid of all of it for his teaching career. “I loved my super-long hair, I really did. But honestly, I probably will not regrow my hair during my retirement because I believe that everything has a time and a place. Now that my life is changing again, I feel like I probably will not regrow my hair, but for the rest of my life. I will dream about doing it,” Timothy said.
Mr. Timothy has a saying that he stands by and believes with all his heart. He tells it to his students to cheer them up, so Mr. Timothy wanted to remind everyone, “Penguins do fly, they just do it underwater.”
