This year, Sahuaro High School welcomes a new English teacher, Mr. Rafael Rios Martinez. Before joining Sahuaro, Mr. Rios had a diverse career that included substitute teaching, translating manga, and teaching medical Spanish to doctors and nurses. His extensive background is sure to provide an engaging and dynamic approach to teaching his junior and senior English classes.
Rios grew up in Tucson, attending Presidio High School, where he had a graduating class of about 12 students. This caused his school to be more of a close-knit community, and he got very close with not only his fellow students but his teachers too, as he had many of them all 4 years of high school. He shared that his English teacher had a lasting impact on him and is part of the reason he chose to do what he does now. “When I was a freshman, I was not a good student,” he admitted. “By the time I kind of got to junior year, I was a lot better and he really helped me out a lot.” Now, he visits his former teacher as often as possible and feels very grateful for the ways he inspired him to become who he is today.
After graduating from high school, Mr. Rios pursued a degree in Linguistics and Japanese at the University of Arizona. Once he graduated from college, he was able to use his degree and live in Japan for 6 months where he worked translating manga (Japanese comic books) into English.
Japan is not the only country he has traveled to though, as he has a love for traveling. “I think traveling is really good. You get to experience other cultures,” he said. His godparents are Brazilian, which allows him to travel to Brazil fairly often. Along with that, his family is Latino, and he goes to Mexico whenever he has the chance. He and his friends often travel together, and last year, over the summer, they went to England.
Previously, he took on the rewarding challenge of teaching adult medical Spanish. In that capacity, he had the unique opportunity to guide healthcare professionals—doctors and nurses—on how to effectively communicate in Spanish within the vital context of medicine. Of course, this was a very different experience than his current job. “It was more seminar-based,” he shared. “It wasn’t like a school or anything. This is very much different from what I was doing before.”
Rios is currently enjoying the sense of community at Sahuaro High School. The environment is not only welcoming but also encouraging, with both staff and students showing a remarkable willingness to offer support and assistance. He notes that he has been able to build strong connections with his students, and he believes that being a young teacher positively contributes to that experience. Sahuaro is excited to watch Mr. Rios grow in his role as an educator.
