Teacher of the Year

Dual Language Immersion World/US History Teacher, Jurupa Middle School
Jurupa Unified School District

For anyone who spends time with teenagers, “cringey” is usually not considered a positive description. But, for Anthony Gomez, hearing that adjective is when he knows he’s right on target with his next self-produced YouTube video to engage his students. As a dual-language immersion middle school history teacher, Anthony had difficulty locating multimedia content in Spanish to help history come alive in the classroom, so he created his own videos and started a channel called “Teaching Juntos”.

Anthony decided to become a teacher so that he could be a positive role model for immigrant students who found school challenging like he did as a child. At the same time, his dual language immersion students are learning about multiple cultures and mastering languages for college credit even before they set foot on a high school campus.

Anthony's Message

Thank you to all my great teachers that helped me overcome my “EL” label and become a successful college graduate. I thank God that I can be a part of the greatest profession on earth. I have no doubt in my mind that I was made with the purpose of being a teacher to JUSD students. It has been an honor to share so many great laughs, tears, and great memories with my students throughout my years as a teacher. Thank you to my dad for showing me how to be a hard worker and for my mom who always taught me to value education. Lastly, I want to say thank you to my wife. I love that she is also a teacher and that we get to bounce ideas off each other constantly as we seek to provide a better learning experience to our students year after year.