Passion for his subject is the key

This school year is Mr. David Belt’s eighth as a teacher at Armijo High School. He’s taught different levels of Spanish, including Spanish 2, but the last few years he has focused on Spanish 3, 4 and Spanish IB at both the SL and HL levels.

Mr. Belt attended Burroughs High School in the town of Ridgecrest in Southern California. “I decided that one of the best ways to make a language career is through teaching,” he said. He went on to attend Brigham Young University where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish.

Mr.Belt wanted to share the knowledge that he had gained over the years so students could gain something from it and hopefully apply it to their lives. “I also wanted to share my experiences… with other people so that they can take advantage of things in their life too,” he said.

During his free time, he enjoys reading, and watching movies. He also has different hobbies such as composing music and playing a variety of instruments, including the violin and the piano.

Over the years, Mr. Belt has built up enough experience to share some good advice with students interested in following a teaching career. “I suggest that you first choose a good subject to study, one that you are passionate about, so that when you are actually teaching, you are inspired by what you have to teach.”

Teaching “is a job that requires effort and time and sometimes you have to have a little patience with it so as not to lose interest in the work,” he said.

“I feel very grateful to be here at Armijo High School and to be able to teach the classes that I have,” said Mr. Belt. “I have some very nice, dedicated and good students. I am also grateful for that as it gives me the courage to continue day after day and dedicate myself to doing what I do, which is teaching Spanish.”