He’s the youngest teacher in the math department, maybe even the youngest teacher at the High. 22 year-old Michael Suarez started teaching Algebra 2 this school year but teaching was not his first choice as a career.

Teacher

“I went from economist to physicist to economist again and then to teacher,” said Mr. Suarez, who was inspired to become a teacher by two former Varela High teachers: calculus teacher Mr. Bellon, who is currently working at Miami High, and social studies teacher Mr. Caroddo.

“Their classes were a lot of fun,” remembers Mr. Suarez. “They knew their subjects very well, and they knew how to impart their knowledge with me.”

Mr. Suarez found out about the job at Miami High in August of 2015 by contacting Mr. Bellon, the head of the math department, and was later interviewed by Mr. Valdes, the principal.

When asked what he liked about teaching Mr. Suarez said, “I really like the act of explaining things to people.”

On the other hand, he said that he does not like when teaching feels like babysitting/ nannying or telling students how to behave.

New to the High

So far, Mr. Suarez feels at home in Stingtown. “Everyone is great here,” he said,”and the faculty is outstanding and helpful.”

He enjoys working with his math department colleagues Ms. Fiallo, Mr. Bellon, Ms. Gonzalez, and Ms. Rodriguez. He said that they have been extremely helpful, and it being his first year teaching, he can use all the help he can get.

However, Mr. Suarez does wish that he could change Miami High’s location. “It’s far from my house in the Hammocks,” he said. This was also one of the reasons he traded his Ford Mustang for a 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid, which is a greener car that gets better gas mileage.

Mr. Suarez hopes his students come out of his class with a better understanding of how to think, not only with math, but in using logic and reasoning on an everyday basis.

Stings, if you are struggling in Algebra 2 or math in general, Mr. Suarez states, “Come to tutoring Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:30 in room 1208.”

High school vs. College experience

   Mr. Suarez attended Felix Verela Senior High school in West Kendall. “It was fantastic,” he said. During 9^th and 10^th grades, he described himself having long hair and not talking to people. But in 11^th and 12^th grades, he got AP classes, cut his hair, talked to people, and met his current girlfriend.

“Going to UF was even better than high school,” he said. Mr. Suarez enjoyed living on his own, doing what he wanted, and the responsibility that came with being in college. He graduated from UF with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in May of 2015, 3 months before getting his first job at Miami High.

Life outside of School

   Born in Miami on March 18, 1993, Mr. Suarez comes from a Hispanic family: his father is Cuban and his mother is Ecuadorian. He has an 18 year old sister named Gabby and a pet Yorky named Shorty. Some of Mr. Suarez’s hobbies include playing guitar, playing Hearthstone, and running 2 miles three times a week.

Mr. Suarez has been dating his high school sweetheart, Vanessa, for 5 and a half years now; but he barely gets to see her now, since she lives in Gainesville.”

He says that he takes life day by day. However, in the future he sees himself married to Vanessa, having a Tesla Model S, and living with lots of dogs.