by Marshall Newton
This year, Minarets welcomes new Spanish and film appreciation teacher, Fabrizio Chavez!
Growing up in a Mexican-American family, Chavez majored in Spanish at Stanislaus State. After graduation, Chavez moved to Spain where he earned his masters for Spanish education and taught at three different schools. Upon moving back to the USA, Chavez applied for the open Spanish teacher position following Mrs. UP’s resignation this summer. When asked what he likes about Minarets, Chavez answered, “The students and teachers seem to be a good set of individuals who help each other.”
Chavez said that he wants to teach Spanish and film appreciation for similar reasons. To him, Spanish is a beautiful language and because California has such a large and growing population of Spanish speakers, it's useful for students to understand the Spanish language and culture. He also teaches film appreciation because he thinks that students need to learn how to appreciate the beauty of what the filmmaker created; to him, it is an art form.
Chavez’s drive for success centers around the students themselves. When students get excited, that excites him as well. He aims to “promote motivation, spark enthusiasm,” and watch his students grow little by little in any form. He aims to promote progression and growth in his students. The students seem to really enjoy Chavez, and he can’t wait to see them learn throughout the year. Welcome to the Mustang family, Mr. Chavez!