Vol 48 Iss 1 Oct 22 2019

Alutant October 22, 2019
19
A Mathematical Superstar
A
Looking Inside the Mind Of Daniel Barrera
Hannah Campbell
Staff Reporter
Feature
At a young age, it was clear
that Daniel Barrera was an enthusiast
for mathematics.
“As a kid, I was always good
at math. I mean, there were other
subjects that I enjoyed, but I never
excelled as much as in math…
Math was always something that I
enjoyed,” Barrera states about his
early school life.
Thus, the whole journey began.
As he got older, Barrera took
this excitement and pursed his
passion in teaching the subject he
shined in.
While studying here at Central
Washington University, he majored
in mathematics while also
minoring in bilingual education,
and he received a master’s degree
in special education.
Barrera began teaching his
own classes at Easton in 2014 and
began at Ellensburg High School
in 2016. Overall, he has been
teaching mathematics for twelve
years.
“I like to take complex topics
and break them down for people
to understand in simple ways… I
like to see that ‘Aaahh, that makes
sense now’, the reaction you get
from students, that’s huge right
there,” he says.
As a math teacher himself,
Barrera wants to get rid of the
stigma surrounding mathematics.
“Sometimes, students come
with a mind block, ‘Oh, this is
math’ barrier already. Psychologically,
it’s a barrier before they
even try. They have this negative
perception about math.”
When asked about any
troubles he experiences as a math
teacher, his response was, “Going
back to that barrier that students
have when they say “Oh,
I’m dumb.’ No, you’re not dumb.
We’re just gonna find different
ways for you to understand.”
Before becoming a math teacher,
Barrera worked at restaurants,
CPS (Child Protective Services),
and served as a police officer
for two years. However, Barrera
seems to have stuck with the profession
as a math teacher here at
the high school.
“I think EHS is very unique,
I grew up here, I went to school
here, my family lives in town, it’s
a good place to raise kids.”
So what is Barrera’s favorite
part of the job?
“...When students become
professionals, you actually have
some sort of input or say I had
that student in my class and now
they’re professional. You know,
you almost have an influence…
“...Two years ago I had two
students who took the SAT test
and they scored top 1% in the
nation… and guess who their
math teacher was…” Barrera says
proudly.
Daniel Barrera is a man of
many interests. He enjoys learning
about different cultures and
their histories, he likes to explore
and travel, and is happy to interact
with students.
Whether it be helping with
studying for the upcoming test,
or entering the room’s door everyday
and saying, “Did you
know?” followed
by a random fact,
joke, or a riddle
that would
boggle even the
world’s brightest
EHS
Teacher
Features
minds, Barrera
is always sure to
start the class off
with smiles.
When asked if he thinks there
is anything he can improve on as
a teacher, Barrera was quick to
respond with, “I think everyday
you can become a better teacher.
Everyday is different so you have
different challenges everyday…
nonetheless, there’s always room
for improvement.”
While finishing up the interview,
Barrera remarks on how
much he enjoys his job as a math
teacher here at Ellensburg High
school, stating, “I think it’s one of
the best jobs I could have.”
Barrera smiles as he hands an assignment
out to his algebra class.