Spanish Teacher Brian Packowitz’s love for teaching came from his father who taught for 35 years and also coached tennis.  Just like his father, he became a teacher and a tennis coach.

“I realized that I really liked teaching people things,” said Packowitz.

Packowitz loved working with children when he was younger and loved embracing his Hispanic culture. He would often enjoy giving tennis lessons to children alongside his father. This led to mixing both passions into a career.

And that passion is noticed by his students.

According to Jesus Ramos, sophomore, his “enthusiasm really brings the class together,” and students can tell that “he really enjoys his job.”

In class, Packowitz likes to do group activities that cause his students to want to learn; some activities include single presentations in small groups or creating posters together with other students.

Also, Ramos said that he “looks forward to class with Packowitz every day” because every day is a fun experience, and he enjoys being taught new concepts.

Since working at MHS for the last seven years, Packowitz said he has learned “more about himself and more about his culture.”

Working with other Hispanic students who come from a similar background to his have allowed him to learn more about his heritage and set specific goals as a teacher.

“We need to get parents more involved, more specifically Hispanic parents,” he said.

To him, Packowitz thinks it’s very crucial for parents to become a broader aspect of the school community. He would like to see more parents at the conferences and getting involved in parent-teacher groups. He believes that “simple parent-teacher communication would be good.”

Since having Packowitz as a teacher, Jennifer Rodriguez, junior, said her parents have “been more involved with [her] school career” because he has given her parents a better understanding of his class and has made an effort to connect them as much as possible to the curriculum.

Additionally, as a teacher, Packowitz is always pushing his students to try their hardest and always expects them to make an effort to learn.

Packowitz is “always teaching his students important life lessons,” said Rodriguez.

Although some students don’t always live up to their fullest potential, or they aren’t at the same level as others, Packowitz still believes that they all have the capability to succeed.

“Everybody can learn, and everybody has potential,” said Packowitz, which is also something crucial he has learned since he began to work at MHS.

Packowitz said his biggest goal as a teacher is “making sure [his] students are lifetime learners.” The skills he teaches in his classroom, he hopes, can be later used in the real world by his students.

He wants students to remember that “things are earned, not given.”

Ten years from now he aspires to be a dean, administrator or a chair of a language department.  He said this would give him more power to help students achieve a better education.

Throughout his career, then, Packowitz said he plans to work hard for “all kids, regardless of background, to be able to succeed.”