From his chess classes to the automotive garage, Mr. Bello is quite the busy man.

Anywhere but school 

  Some of you may know Mr. Bello whether it’s from a friend who’s in one of his classes or seeing him in the hallway with a coffee or smoothie in his hands, but not many really know him as a person. Maybe you’d be curious as to what teachers do when they’re not in school.  

  Do they have any hobbies other than complaining about other students or saying they’re going to grade your work yet never end up doing it? Mr. Bello enjoys doing many things outside of school! “I’m basically a handyman; I like to fix things, technical things,” he says. Although he enjoys fixing things in his spare time, he also likes to travel!  

  He said, “I’ve been to Italy, France, many different U.S. states, The Bahamas, Mexico, and a majority of Europe.” Mr. Bello has traveled to so many places he must have a favorite place to travel to, right?   Well not exactly… “I don’t have a favorite place to go to, but my wife does, which is Disney Land, and if she’s happy then I’m happy.” 

Let’s go a little deeper  

Now you may know some basic information on Mr. Bello about what he likes and does, but why don’t we go a bit deeper? Mr. Bello was born in Cuba in 1959, the same year the communism in Cuba started. Growing up with a corrupt government around you isn’t a pretty sight. Seeing your parents struggle to try and keep you and themselves alive isn’t either.  

“I saw the struggle my parents went through in Cuba,” said Mr. Bello. But there’s always beautiful and memorable moments even in the harshest of times. “I remember when I was 9, my mom spent a long time waiting in line for toys from Los Reyes Magos,” says Mr. Bello. “It was a memorable moment because in a communist country there’s scarcity of items like toys.” 

Mr. Bello also said that coming to Miami was a struggle as well as “we were limited to certain things.” 

Chess is more than a game 

  Mr. Bello is known as a chess teacher, but did you know he was originally an automotive teacher? “I didn’t become a chess teacher because I wanted to. I’m an automotive teacher.” He only became a chess teacher because the school needed one because there were very few of them. 

  As much as he enjoys being an automotive teacher, he’s also not against being a chess teacher as chess can teach you loads of things! “Chess is a unique game that makes you think where you’re going to go and where you’re going to be at,” says Mr. Bello. “Chess is more than a game. It gives you a chance to better yourself by not acting on impulse.”  Now many of you may think, Ok, it’s a game that makes you think and learn things, but learn what exactly?  

  Mr. Bello said, “Chess teaches you 7 things: patience, problem solving, abstract reasoning, calmness under pressure, sportsmanship, pattern recognition and strategic thinking. Chess is about human skills.”  

  As much as Mr. Bello enjoys seeing his students play chess, he doesn’t like playing against them. He believes they get too cocky and brag if they win against him, and this beats the whole purpose of sportsmanship. But don’t take it personally! It’s just something he dislikes. In fact, he says, “I expect for students to be better than me.”