English teacher Jim Daniel is retiring at the end of this school year, ending his nearly 30-year-long career at Aragon.
Daniel graduated from University of California Los Angeles, majoring in English Literature.
“I love reading, I love writing, and it was just easy for me, so it kind of chose me,” Daniel said. “Ironically, I was a pretty lazy student, and English was what I could do the best in without having to work really hard.”
However, it would take another 10 years before he would begin teaching.
“I wasn’t very happy, I’d been trying to make money doing jobs that were kind of meaningless,’” Daniel said. “Then I met a high school friend who was an English teacher in Hawaii and she was like, ‘You should be an English teacher. So, I went back to the bank of mom and dad and said ‘Will you pay for me teaching credential program?’ And they did, and then I wound up student teaching here, and they hired me.”
Jim Daniel has enjoyed his time teaching and getting to know students and faculty at Aragon.
“It’s been three decades of really quite wonderful people,” Daniel said. “Teachers tend to be smart, intelligent, kind people; they’re fun to hang out with. And teenagers keep you young.”
After almost thirty years at Aragon, Jim Daniel felt it was time for him to step away and retire.
“I’m 61 and a half,” Jim Daniel said. “[Teaching] requires a lot of energy, and I’m just ready to try something [new, and] do something different the last few years in my working life.”
However, many still wished he would continue teaching.
“I wanted him to stay,” said Victoria Daniel, English and Advancement Via Individual Determination teacher and Jim Daniel’s wife. “He’s still a favorite of many students [and] colleagues. He still brings a lot into the classroom and he makes students like English. But, he’s been talking about it for a couple of years, and so eventually I was supportive of his decision.”
Many of Jim Daniel’s students are also saddened by his retirement, reflecting on their experiences with him.
“I definitely love the environment of the class, and how he really just makes [it] go smooth,” said junior Alexander McGuigan. “He helps to educate people on subjects they don’t really have an incentive to be taught about [and] he does it in a way where it makes class fun and it makes class more enjoyable.”
Junior Advik Bommareddy felt lucky to have had Jim Daniel.
“I’m really [going to] miss him,” Bommareddy said. “I’m just glad I got to experience him.”
McGuigan echoed this sentiment.
“We lost a really good English teacher,” McGuigan said. “I’m sad my younger sibling won’t be able to experience him because he’s a really, really, good teacher. It’s really going to be a sad sight to see him go, but we really hope that he has a good time in retirement.”
Although he’s retiring from his teaching position, Jim Daniel still plans to stay involved in the Aragon community.
“I’m gonna do some coaching here. Jim Daniel said. I’ll probably do some subbing and after mid-summer, I may look around for some other types of jobs,”
In the meantime, planning for next year will continue as school administration decides how to fill the gap left by Jim Daniel’s retirement.
