Mr. Luis Guerrero is a math teacher at Mcclatchy high school entering into his 2nd year as a math teacher. Mr.Guerrero is a Sacramento native born in south Sacramento. He was a former basketball coach for the Freshman basketball team at McClatchy, and DJ at previous homecomings.
Mr.Guerrero is an alumni of the class of ‘09 at McClatchy. He then enrolled in Sacramento State, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering as well as his teachers credential.
Transitioning careers from an engineer to a math teacher was not an easy choice to make. Mr. Guerrero was working as an audio engineer, before deciding to enter the educational field as a math teacher. Guerrero stated, ‘’[I]… recognized that I needed to be in the classroom because representation matters. It is hard to imagine what you don’t see. I decided to do what I felt right.”
His approach to teaching is quite unique and unlike the average classroom environment, ‘’One strategy I use in a math classroom is playing music in the background during warm-ups, independent practice and group activities. There are many university studies that highlight the impact of background music and academic achievement’’.
Like many teachers, there have been a lot of new hurdles to tackle with distance learning– new in and out’s that everyone has to get used to. Mr. Guerrero commented on this, saying that, “The pandemic has impacted everything about teaching and learning. I don’t like that we are doing distance learning, but I am doing everything in my power to make it the best that I can. One thing that I really like about working online is that I am able to communicate with all students outside of the classroom.’’
But he doesn’t spend all day in the classroom. By night he is a DJ as well as an audio engineer. Mr.Guerrero got his start with music and sound by working at his cousin’s sound company at 13. There he witnessed what being a DJ was like, and immediately was inspired, “I was instantly hooked on how the DJ;s would mix and manipulate the music… I was given a pair of turntables and records from a family friend and that’s when it all started. .”
Guerrero exercises his DJ skills working as an audio engineer for the Sacramento Kings as well as being the DJ every Saturday night on Fuego 103.5 FM here in Sacramento.
When asked about his plans for his career as a teacher in the future Mr.Guerrero said “I am currently a masters student in the College of Education at Sacramento State. I plan on teaching until I enter a Phd program in education. Ultimately, I want to become a professor in teacher preparation at the university level.”