Believe it or not, teachers are very real people with real personalities, quirks, and interests. One of the teachers with a very animated personality is Miami High alumnus Mr. Jimenez. Some know him as the former Interact advisor while others as their creative writing teacher. What all these students have in common is their familiarity with the young English teacher in room 3206.

Education

   Immediately after graduating Miami High in 2012, Mr. Jimenez attended Miami Dade College. The “peace of mind that [his] parents would be okay and [he] would still be close to them,” made him more secure in his decision to attend an in-state school. Mr. Jimenez says, “I made so many memories at MDC and made lifelong friends.” When asked what his favorite memory was, Mr. Jimenez said he couldn’t pinpoint an exact memory but one that always stood out was becoming president of the Rotary club. After winning a scholarship, he transferred to Florida International University and received his bachelor’s degree in English.

Teaching

   Only three short months after graduating Florida International University, Mr. Jimenez began teaching at Miami High (2017) —a decision that sparked from his desire to help his community. Mr. Jimenez didn’t always know he wanted to be a teacher, though. In fact, it wasn’t until “destiny caught up with [him],” that he knew he was meant to educate the next generation. If he could dedicate his life to something else, Mr. Jimenez would choose a career in screen writing or creative writing.

Advising

  Beginning high school in fall of 2017, the MHS class of 2021 inspired Mr. Jimenez to be the advisor of Interact, one of the “Big Four” clubs. Mr. Jimenez clarified that the reason he resigned as advisor was because “[his] main goal was to graduate class of 2021 since they were [his] first class.” He further explained, “I felt that Interact was self-sufficient, and I wanted to try something else.” After retiring as advisor in 2020, Mr. Jimenez became advisor of English Honor Society, otherwise known as EHS.

   EHS is Miami High’s reading and writing club. He describes EHS as a “perfect-fit, especially when combined with [his] creative writing classes.” “English Honor opens an avenue of perspectives since kids have a common denominator of loving English,” explained Mr. Jimenez.

   Back when Mr. Jimenez attended Miami High, he did not have a high enough GPA to be part of the English Honor Society, so his primary goal as advisor is to “give another opportunity to students who do not have a high enough GPA and students who could not take his creative writing class.”

   When compared to other advisors throughout the school, one thing that sets Mr. Jimenez apart is his age. At 27 years old, Mr. Jimenez is one of the youngest teachers at Miami High. He loves to keep up with trends, watch movies and animes, and listen to trendy artists. “I love Olivia Rodrigo!” responded Mr. Jimenez when talking about his favorite artists. He says his young age and similar interests allow him to relate to his students better.

Life outside of Room 3206

   When asked what he likes to do for fun, Mr. Jimenez responded that he loves to watch movies and tries to watch them every week. “I love to go into another world when reading books, and I love musical theatre,” he added. This makes sense considering he was president of the Thespian club when he was a senior in high school.

   If he could travel anywhere in the world and money was no object, Mr. Jimenez would go to Japan. He says the Japanese have a unique culture and it “blows [his] mind how culturally different the lives of people there are.”

   Mr. Jimenez is not particularly religious or spiritual, but he loves to learn about all types of belief systems. He says his moral compass is based on the saying “Treat others how you want to be treated.”

How to become part of the English Honor Society:

Step 1: Wait for there to be a Club Fair

Step 2: Apply to the club by filling out an on-line application

Step 3: Wait to get approved by the Activities Director

Step 4: Attend weekly meetings on Tuesday’s