By: Meredith Y. '30
There are thirteen year olds who love bees. There are thirteen year olds who are terrified of bees. And then there are thirteen year olds who catch their own bee hives. The latter describes Sr. Valdés, Berkeley’s new eighth grade Spanish teacher. “I had some smoke and I bent down the tree limb, and I had it [the bee hive] for a few months,” he explains, “The neighbors used to complain all the time because we lived in the city. [The bees] always used to sting me above the eyebrow, and I always had a bump there.” Those weren’t his only pets, though. He also used to have both a termite and an ant colony. Currently, he has a black hamster named Panchito and a goldfish pond.
Not only has Sr. Valdés had a variety of pets, but he has also lived in a variety of places. Originally from Cuba, he has also lived in China which he said was a wonderful experience, “It was a time of great growth for me, both professionally and personally.”
He loves teaching Spanish, and it brings him great joy to see students confident in what they know. He also loves to see students using Spanish in context, “which can be anything from ordering food from a restaurant, to shopping for clothes at the mall, to going to the beach.”
It seems like Sr. Valdés’ students are in for an exciting year with this fascinating teacher!