Joseph Barro’s “senior year” teaching

Mr.Barro kicking back and relaxing in his pleasant classroom. Photo by Jake Winkle

Mr. Barro kicking back and relaxing in his pleasant classroom. Photo by Jake Winkleby Tejas Chadha, Staff Writer

English teacher Joseph Barro has been teaching at Fountain Valley High School for four years. This would make him an unofficial senior. In this short amount of time, he has already solidified himself as a beloved teacher on this campus.

“I think just the cohesiveness of staff and students, theres not a lot of negative energy among the students and the staff it all seems to be very positive and everybody respects one another and even to the point where I don’t find that there is a big divide even between students and teachers it’s like everyone is together, it’s not like that at other schools,” said Barro.

Over four years, the thought that stuck out to him was how well strong the student to teacher relationships were. Being able to have fun and be respectful of one another at the same time was something Barro hasn’t witnessed in his time at other schools.

“It’s year to year or sometimes even month to month where I’m questioning my teaching but that’s a positive thing because I question to try and make myself better, change is necessary for improvement,” said Barro.

In his years at Fountain Valley, something he noted was how he had to adapt as a teacher to different students and technology aspects that have changed in his time at Fountain Valley High School. However, it’s a challenge he enjoys because it allows him to grow and improve as a teacher and create a better learning environment for all his students.

“I see my wife everyday and I eat lunch with her everyday, and it’s cool being able to share a workplace with her,” said Barro.

Barro’s wife, Emily Barro, is also a teacher at Fountain Valley High School and teaches AP Biology and regular Biology. They are able to maintain a great relationship with each other despite working in different departments.

He prides himself on different relationships his built with his students, especially with seniors who he was able to see them graduate.

Barro said, “My students make everyday exciting, everyday is new, it’s like having a new conversation everyday.”