Javier Castro Guinea is a notorious figure in middle school. He teaches Spanish, but he is known for much more than that. In his classes, he talks about a myriad of things, leaving his students wondering even more about who he is. Let's start from the beginning.
“I was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the north of Spain. It was good because it was a small city, two hundred fifty thousand people. Because I was good at math, I studied computer science. I didn't really like computers; I studied it because it seemed like the best option. I didn’t really have a plan, and because I didn't like it, after working 3 years as an IT consultant, I went into teaching.”
It is widely known that he has a love for hiking and shares many of his travels with his students. Students also commonly hear about the marathons he runs at every chance he gets. You can find a more in-depth recollection of his adventures on his blog, basurde.blogia.com.
“I think that hiking, those are the favorite moments. Every time I'm hiking in my village, I'm with family, and I'm with nature. Once I went to Antarctica, to run a marathon. It's not something you would usually get the chance to do, and I had the opportunity. In races, I’m usually in the bottom 20%. Antarctica was not an exception. I love running, and I don't mind if I'm not in the front.”
Every teacher has a different view of their job. Sr Castro loves it, but it is a demanding job.
“Sometimes I wish I worked in a factory. A factory is 9 to 5, but as a teacher, you always have work, even on the weekend.”
If you’re lucky enough to be in one of Castro's classes, one thing you can always count on is that you will always walk away with new wisdom.
“I think that hanging out with students, it brings a lot of energy and it's always fun. I would like my students to know that I wasn't good at English in middle or high school. I started learning English seriously when I finished university. It is not the person with the best grades in my Spanish class, the one who will speak Spanish well in the future is the one who continues learning it and is more consistent”.
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