Mr. Andrew Martinez teaches biology teacher at Armijo, but this is only his second year teaching in an actual classroom. Despite his short time on campus, he’s already noticed some big changes, especially the changes in administration. This year, things are different with Ms. Sheila Smith as principal. “The all-round vibe is different. She is more energetic,” he said. “She has changed the overall vibe of the staff.”

Growing up, Mr. Martinez did not always want to be a teacher. At first, he wanted to be a pizza delivery man. “I thought it was so cool that people were just able to bring pizzas to my house,” he said. Eventually he changed his mind and went to veterinary school and he worked at zoos for a little while. He even did things that weren’t science related, like playing music professionally. He also got into acting for a short time.

His greatest inspiration is his dad, who has worked in education for over 30 years, mostly working for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District (FSUSD). Whether Armijo’s Mr. Martinez will follow in his father’s footsteps (the senior Mr. Martinez recently earned his doctorate and is now working on education for the whole state) remains to be seen, but the lessons have been learned. “He has very good work ethic,” Mr. Martinez said about his father.

Working with students at Armijo and working in his department are some of his favorite reasons to stay on this campus. He loves the fact that the students are all different and he finds it challenging to connect each of his students to biology. He likes seeing all their different interests. “Some are music people, some are art people, some are history people,” he said. Mr. Martinez also said that his students are funny and that it’s interesting to see what their lives are like. He enjoys talking to them and learning about their senses of humor.