Within the past few years some of Buena’s favorite teachers have left the high school to pursue other teaching at Cochise College.

            If you have ever taken a biology class, you may remember the funny, enthusiastic Eric Brooks. After teaching Biology and AP Biology at the high school for ten years, Brooks was eager to move on to the next level of his teaching career following the completion of his Ph.D.

            “Cochise has provided me a great stepping stone into teaching higher education. Who knows where I’ll go from here, if anywhere,” said Brooks.

            Angela Garcia and Joann Deakin also left Buena to move on to teaching at the college level.

            “I knew that I eventually wanted to teach at the college level, but the reason that I decided to last year was due to several contributing factors; two of the main reasons were the pay and the support at the district level. I always felt like administration at Buena treated me well though,” explained Garcia.

            Teaching at a college provides many more opportunities and is a much different experience as all three teachers have come to find. College learning has a much more casual and flexible learning schedule as well as giving the teachers most Fridays off from work. One of the main differences the three teachers noticed is the effort college students put into their work as opposed to high school students.

            “Because many students are paying to be at Cochise, they are more involved in their learning and tend to work harder to get good grades,”said Brooks.

            Deakin, who taught at Buena for eight years, enjoys the opportunity to help less fortunate students make a new start in their life and their education.

            “I am able to help less fortunate students who could not go off to a university right out of high school. I like teaching older students who are re-learning math and science. It’s nice to see people who may have had a bad start at life re-start their lives in a new direction,” she explained.

            Even though teaching at a college level has opened up new opportunites, these teachers will always miss certain aspects about Buena.

            “Buena has great students and they were hands down the best part of the job. So many personalities and quirks, I had something new to look forward to everday when I came to school,”said Brooks.

            Deakin and Garcia both agree with Brooks that they miss the students who they have had the opportunity to meet and teach. 

            Garcia said she will always remember “standing in the hallway with my ‘PDA Free Zone’ signs and watching the students who don’t know me scramble because they were sure I must be mentally imbalanced.” Whereas Deakin remembers the awful smell of the teacher’s  lounge.

            “Finish your high school education and go to college, even if it just means taking a few classes at a time,”said Brooks. “Being a life-long learner is important for your future, and keeps you both sane and happy. Good luck Buena students!” he added.