Miami Senior High, as with many schools, always has that one teacher that leaves such a lasting impression on their students that no one else can. This is even better said with subjects that students tend to usually find boring, but with the help of the right teacher, any subject can easily be more enjoyable. One of these miraculous teachers in question is Mr. Norori, Miami High’s exclusive Advanced Placement Psychology and United States history teacher!
Life as a Teacher
Teaching was not always Mr. Norori’s intended career path. He actually intended on becoming a film director, as that was what he studied in college and was most passionate about at the time, especially when he was a student at Miami High, but he soon realized that wasn’t exactly the case.
He states, “I realized I enjoyed learning about film more than making films,” explaining how he would much rather teach film history than produce films.
When presented with the opportunity to come back to Miami High as a teacher, Mr. Norori was most interested in the fact that he would be able to teach a subject he was also passionate about, psychology. He has now been Miami High’s Advanced Placement Psychology teacher for the past 7 years. He also teaches United States history for juniors.
What he likes most about the two subjects he teaches is how they are both subjects that revolve around everyday life and provide explanations about why people do the things they do.
When he was initially given this opportunity to return and teach said subjects, he was sought out by his former AP Literature teacher, and now CAP Advisor, Ms. Puentes. He was extremely thrilled to hear from her, stating, “She was a great source of support and motivation in encouraging me to come back.”
What Mr. Norori enjoys most about being a teacher is getting to know his students better and helping them improve in many ways, not just academically. He loves to see their growth throughout the years. He states, “I enjoy teaching my students about things they don’t typically know about.”
Goals and Aspirations
Something that Mr. Norori hopes to accomplish in the future and something that he considers a dream of his is to teach a class on film history. He states, “It’s a mixture of two things, one being something that I studied in college, and it’s something that I am most passionate about.” He also likes how film involves the knowledge of history in some aspects, which is a subject he already teaches.
“The ways movies are presented can really teach us about the human condition and how these stories connect us,” he says.
If granted the opportunity to advise a club at Miami High, Mr. Norori would like to advise the Art and Animation Club, stating, “They are a group of fun kids.” However, he is starting up Miami High’s first psychology honors society named Psi Alpha that’s scheduled to become official during the 24-25 school year. This club would enrich those wanting to learn more about psychology and involve themselves in what the career path has to offer.
Where Did He Start?
Like a lot of our school’s staff, Mr. Norori was born and raised here in Miami, living in both Little Havana and Allapattah. He went to Kensington Park Elementary, Citrus Grove Middle School, then here to Miami Senior High where he graduated with the Class of 2009. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Miami.
He grew up with his immediate family who he is very close with, and his older brother who also graduated from Miami High in 2009, who ended up leaving for the Air Force shortly after. He also had a family cat of 23 years who sadly passed away in 2023.
At Miami High, he was the president of a long-disbanded service club named Panam, which was very similar to Interact and Key Club. They won first place in the homecoming parade his senior year, when they built a float themed around Ancient Egypt. It was one of the biggest clubs Miami High had and was mainly involved with community outreach. He was also secretary of his senior class and a member of Science National Honors Society, Anime Nation (now Art and Animation), and an environmental club that no longer exists called Aware.
At the University of Miami, he describes his experience as very “academically stimulating”, where he had great professors. Unlike when he was in Miami High, he was much less involved in college extracurriculars.
Before working at Miami High, he started out as a receptionist at the University of Miami’s psychological services center where graduate students did their practicums if they were studying psychology. There, he was also in charge of overseeing meetings they held with students about to receive their bachelor’s in psychology.
He also worked in the Center of Autism and Related Disabilities (C.A.R.D.) where he helped staff members schedule appointments, handle paperwork, and coordinate with families seeking help from the university for their children or adults with disabilities. “I often look back at that period of my life as the most fun, and one of the most rewarding times of my life,” he states.
With his personal and professional preferences eventually shifting with time, he left the University of Miami. He states, “I feel as if my time there grew stagnant, and I needed a change of scenery,” which led him to where he is now.
What Is He Into?
Outside of teaching, Mr. Norori enjoys working out and raising his children. His son Dominic is two years old, and his daughter Sabrina is one year old. Another thing he hopes to accomplish as a teacher is to continue being a motivator for his students. He is also looking forward to seeing his children grow, stating, “I really want to see my children succeed when the time comes.”
He is also a big fan of movies, which was one of the reasons he was so interested in studying film at UM before ending up at Miami High again.
His favorite movie is Gladiator, and his favorite TV show is Friends. He states, “I like how there is a big core group of friends that experience life together, and how that reflects those that are in my life right now.”
