Mexican American History teacher new, yet familiar.
ECENTRO — This school Southwest High School history teacher Michael Hsu has taken on the role of teaching the Mexican American history class to help prepare students for life after high school while learning more about Mexican American culture.
Previous Mexican American history teacher Abel Juarez said he found the subject particularly enjoyable because it is very similar to U.S. history class, but included the groups of people who were left out.
“When we study U.S. history, we don’t talk about how Mexican Americans participated in the Civil War, such as those who wanted to prove their patriotism by fighting on both sides,” he said.
Juarez said he thinks students taking this class will be gaining a critical awareness from the subject and will start thinking about current events in a different way.
He further said that he feels Hsu has a caring quality that his students will benefit from.
“The students have a compassionate mentor and someone who always has the door open to help them out,” Juarez said.
Hsu has been a teacher in the history department at Southwest High School for five years, but said he was very excited to experience teaching this subject.
“I was teaching U.S. history and needed another subject to teach,” he said. “I chose Mexican American history because I get the pleasure of having the juniors I taught who are now seniors.”
He said his favorite part about teaching the course so far is how much information he’s obtained from the curriculum. He added that he appreciates how many students are interested in this subject and want to learn more.
“Culture and heritage is really important, and everyone should know more about this culture and the roots,” he said.
Overall, Hsu said he’s looking forward to being able to teach a variety of students this school year.
“I want students to get ready for the real world after they graduate and make sure they have a plan after high school,” Hsu said.
Southwest High School senior Britney Del Real, 17, had Hsu for U.S. history last year and said she’s excited to have him again because he makes history fun.
“He views and explains the subject from a student’s perspective, and that makes it relevant and easy to understand,” Britney said.
She said she hopes to gain more knowledge about Mexican American history, and his teaching methods have been helpful so far.
“Mr. Hsu is very detailed and makes everything sound interesting; he adds that special touch of fun into the class,” she said.
Andrea Morales, 17, a senior at Southwest, said she joined this class to gain knowledge about Mexican culture and the history behind it.
She said Hsu is a kind teacher and makes the Mexican American history course seem simple and easy.
“He doesn’t pressure us, and he’s really good at teaching,” Andrea said. “I don’t know much about Mexican culture, so learning more about it is really fun.”
Southwest senior Janine Martinez, 16, said she enrolled in this course to gain more knowledge about her culture.
She also said Hsu has been very helpful in helping her understand new information about the subject.
“He has a good sense of humor and shares his own experiences that relate to the topics; it helps the student connect to the subject more,” she said.
Janine said she feels his teaching style and openness makes him a dependable teacher.
“He’s a teacher I feel comfortable talking to whether it’s about schoolwork or personal advice,” she said.