Mr. Minor, one of the newest math teachers, is low-key passionate about helping his students succeed.
One of the first things you will notice when you walk into room 110 is a collection of Rubik's cubes scattered around the teacher’s desk and a water bottle featuring an image of a 3x3 Rubik's cube. This classroom is home to one of the newest members in the math department, 11th-grade teacher Mr. Minor, who is himself a bit of an unsolvable puzzle. While many students consider him “nonchalant” due to his calm and relaxed attitude and great sense of fashion, often seen in his color-matching outfits, Mr. Minor considers himself a straightforward and analytical person.
Spend any time in room 110, and you will find that what truly defines Mr. Minor is empathy and a genuine desire when it comes to helping others. When asked about his inspiration for becoming a math teacher, he mentioned how he witnessed several friends struggle with math, even failing classes. Determined not to let that cycle continue, Mr Minor decided to become a teacher to ensure that no student would struggle as badly as his friends once did. He believes that individuals deserve the privilege to access a proper education and a degree.
Fellow math savant Mr. Amaya states, “My first impression of Minor was how he is someone who has a lot of structure and instills purpose in students, like there's a meaning behind the math.” Mr. Minor's teaching style is known to be challenging; he makes sure to have his students struggle, pushing them for better understanding without overwhelming them. He explains how he wants his students to make mistakes, believing it will increase their understanding and make sure they succeed in the concept.
Apart from teaching, Mr. Minor has several engaging hobbies that most students don’t know about, including his passion for Rubik’s cubes, which he first got into when he was stuck on a math problem he couldn’t solve. Once he picked up the puzzle, it gave him confidence in achieving what he couldn’t do, something he now encourages in his students.
Another interesting attribute most people don't know is that he is a very talented basketball player who used to play on teams with athletes who are now in the NBA before he started teaching. When asked what career he would have pursued if he weren’t a math teacher, you might assume it would be following his hoop dreams, but he answered “software engineer.’’ Minor shared another hobby of his - coding and how he enjoys this tricky activity during his free time 🤓.
You might think that with all the math, hobbies, and interests that Minor has that there isn’t much time for fun, but you’d be wrong. Minor makes time to connect and have fun with his colleagues. According to Mr. Amaya, “It’s not like I have OCD, but he likes to put things out of order, and so he will come in and throw markers because he knew that it bothered me, or would hide my phone somewhere. I think it's funny, and I guess that's the thing about Mr.Minor is that he’s fun.’’
A piece of advice that stuck with Minor that he shares with students is “If you have an opportunity to help somebody and it doesn't hurt you, then help.’’ Mr. Minor lives by this philosophy every day by helping his students through challenges.
Like a Rubik's cube, he knows that every problem has a solution.
