ELD teacher Hector Perez will be leaving the school and returning to teach Survey of Composition and Literature classes at Mountain View High School next year. Perez is leaving because he was unable to secure a job in the English Department at LAHS, while MVHS has welcomed his return. The district has already approved his transfer.

Perez had originally come to the school at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year because of English and AVID teacher Michael Smith. They had both been teachers at MVHS when Smith, who had taught at LAHS before going to MVHS, decided to transfer back to LAHS because he “missed the kids [here].” Interested, Perez also came, hoping to teach English at the school.

“I only became an ELD teacher because it was my way into Los Altos High,” Perez said. “I had always intended to teach English, so teaching ELD for more than a year just never was a consideration.”

At the time, there was no position open in the English Department and Perez was directed to the ELD Department, where he thought he would be staying only temporarily. Perez, who had never been trained in teaching ELD, often had to make the curriculum up as he went.

“I was trained as an English teacher and am good at teaching English,” Perez said. “I didn’t want to keep teaching ELD because obviously I felt like a bad ELD teacher.”

As a result, he is returning to his previous English teaching position where he feels he can make a bigger difference.

“I think … there are many students who do not see themselves in our staff.,” Perez said. “I want to be the Mexican English teacher, to be an inspiration to those kids in the achievement gap since I was one of them too.”

While Perez will not be going far, he will be missed.

“He’s so cool and funny, like a big brother,” sophomore Faye Cheng said. “I really sad and surprised to see him go.”