Knowing more about the teachers in your school is important which is why I decided to interview Profe Arias to learn more about his background and experiences as a teacher. Profe Arias has been one of Lincoln’s Spanish teachers for the past 5 years, with a short break last year when he went on paternity leave.
Abel Arias grew up in Lake Chelan, Washington and got his BA from UW Seattle. He ended up participating in a study abroad program in Spain so that he could graduate with a double major in Spanish and sociology within his four years of college. Initially he wanted to be a college professor which is why he moved to UT Austin to acquire his second master’s degree in Spanish.
After moving around between Bay Area and Seattle institutions, he finally landed at the University of Puget Sound Tacoma where he and his wife worked and bought a house together.
When the pandemic hit, Arias’s job contract at the University did not get renewed. It was around this time when he discovered a job opening at Lincoln High School. When Arias first began his career he wanted to pursue teaching colleges students. His previous experiences teaching high school students had discouraged him and made him hesitant to take another high school teaching position, but he decided to give it another shot at Lincoln.
Now that Arias is working at Lincoln he much prefers teaching high school. He described a big reason he began to love working at Lincoln “it was a whole different vibe. There is more of a sense of community here and the school admin and principals are very supportive.”
Arias hopes his students have “a good and enjoyable experience, and I hope that students are having fun while learning at the same time.” Asked what he wanted his students to take away from his class he said, “I hope that they remember the Spanish they learned”.
Arias’s favorite part of being a teacher is getting to know the students and seeing them grow from freshman to senior year while watching their Spanish level grow as well. “It’s crazy seeing you guys change from nervous freshman to ‘I’m a senior now!'” he remarked.
Besides teaching, Arias also has a passion for working on cars and likes to go on hikes with his wife in his free time. In the future Arias hopes to revisit Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory on Spain’s south coast) with his wife and daughter Sofia.
“Enjoy high school, don’t stress out. Don’t get too hung up on grades. And if you’re gonna go to college – it’s going to be fun!”-Profe Arias
