Since she was about 7 or 8 years old, Ms. Ortiz has wanted to be a teacher. At first she did not know what kind of teacher she wanted to be. Did she want to be an elementary teacher? A middle school teacher? Or a high school teacher? Today, many of us know her as Ms. Ortiz, and we’re thankful she chose to be a high school teacher.
Realizing a Dream
Manuela Ortiz, one of PHS math teachers, has worked at our school for 17 years. She taught at the middle school level for three years, and at Jurupa Valley High School for another three years before transferring to Patriot.
One of the things she’s proud of is that she majored in Mathematics. She has a bachelors and a master in Math, and she achieved her dreams of becoming a teacher.
As a teacher she was inspired by her own family. She came from a family of teachers, some of her cousins are teachers and she always wanted to be a teacher just like her cousins. But when she discovered she was great at Math, she took advantage of it and became a teacher of something she was really good at, and wanted to teach it to others.
Sophomore Class Advisor
She is a mother of two beautiful children, one daughter, and one son. When her son was a freshman, his class did not have a class advisor. She stepped in and became the advisor for that class last year and has stayed as Sophomore Class Council Advisor this year.
She says these councils are important in classes so that students get connected and add to their class and school spirit. Students involved work very hard and donate their time after school for all types of events, including rallies. Students also raise funds for trips or other things they want for their class. She thinks that donating their time to a service helps students to think beyond themselves and to be disciplined with their time, because they still have homework to do.
After working so hard on these events, whether they sell items, organize and decorate for rallies, she feels like she can celebrate by being able to go home a little earlier.
A Teacher's Advice on Math and Life
Her goal as a teacher is that she will inspire some of her students to follow concrete steps to make their dreams come true.
She says: “I think every student could learn if they had the desire to learn...all they need is work ethic, and I believe that every single student can be successful in math and other things."
She explains that some students believe that math is hard, therefore it is. Whatever you believe in, that is your reality. Math doesn’t have to be difficult if you apply yourself to learning the rules. “Math is not difficult; all you have to do is follow the rules and formulas.”
Another great piece of advice she says is to have realistic dreams so that they can come true. Look at the things you already have and what you can control, and don’t worry about what you cannot control or what you don’t have. Work with what you have, even if you think it is little, it will add up and grow because you are being realistic.
“I think that any student can make it in life but it’s up to them," she added.
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