Happy Friday! Today on Down Home we are continuing on with our Friday Faces series, and Part Two of our amazing High School team. They are such a part of how we teach Classical Education with a Twist! Today we are excited to share more about them, with books that inspired them this summer and what they are looking forward to this school year.
Mr. Gil Braga 
Mr. Art Hanjiev 
Mrs. Sara Aguas 
Dr. Josh Rocha
What books inspired you this summer?
Dr. Rocha: The book I read over the summer that has stuck with me the most to me is George Eliot’s Romola. I read David Brooks’ The Road to Character for my Staff Summer Read, and I enjoyed it a great deal. My primary takeaway was the value of service.
Mr. Braga: I read and still reading a book for my Mesoamerican History Elective called Mexico: from the Olmecs to the Aztecs. It talks about the rich, fascinating, and quite often misinterpreted contributions from the original peoples from the central region of the American continent. Amazing stuff.
Mrs. Aguas: I read most of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It was a beautiful read that weaved together indigenous wisdom and modern ecology. As a science teacher, I was reminded that one of the best ways to do science is simply to observe how nature interacts with itself. Scientific experimentation is important, but we must never forget to watch, listen, and wait for nature to teach us her truths.
Mr. Hanjive: Mindset by Carol S. Dweck; The Elements of Teaching by Banner and Cannon; The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason; The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway; Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott; The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; The Master Theorem by M. They were all good!
Some even shared their favorite photo from summer. Keep scrolling!
Mrs. Aguas: This summer, my husband and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary! We went to Color-Me-Mine and made a cute plate set together. My husband, Austin, started teaching at SLOCA this school year and we have enjoyed every minute of working at the same school. We LOVE our SLOCA team!
Gil Braga: My wife Meredith and I in one of our many gigs at the SLO Museum of Art.
What are you looking forward to teaching or learning with your students this year?
Dr. Rocha: Too many things – Alfred the Great, the Vikings, Dante, Montaigne, Renaissance art, Erasmus, Machiavelli, and the list goes on.
Mr. Braga: Exactly how we tend to focus our efforts in understanding cultures and quite often we allow misinformation, myths, and one sided views affect how we perceive culture.
Mrs. Aguas: I am looking forward to all of the fun Chemistry labs I get to do with my students!
Mr. Hanjive: A whole bunch of math!
Remind our readers how long you’ve been a part of SLOCA.
Dr. Rocha: This is my second year, but I would still consider myself new. I was drawn to this community’s values and to the quality of the students.
Mr. Braga: This is my 4th year at the High School.
Mrs. Aguas: This is my second year teaching at SLOCA High School. I was drawn to the holistic approach SLOCA takes in its learning. I wanted to teach at a place that respected the personhood of each individual student and that reflected back to the students what it is to be human. People should be educated in a way that shows them they are not just meant to simply go into the workforce, work a 9-5, and mindlessly move through life. I want my students to leave their education empowered to live a beautiful and virtuous life.
Mr. Hanjive: This is my 4th year!
Stay tuned for next week when we’ll present our UMS teachers and staff!
1 thought on “friday faces | high school | part 2”
So very grateful for the dedication and passion of these teachers.