TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — University of Arizona Athletics and KGUN 9 are proud to present the nominees for the Teacher of the Year Award.
Gino Strebing is one of the finalists. He teaches algebra and geometry at Empire High School in the Vail School District.
Strebing is a natural at math, and at teaching it.
After coaching baseball at Empire High School, he was approached about teaching.
"One of the math teachers was like 'Hey you're pretty good a math. Do you want to teach math,'" said Srebing. "I was like I mean sure. That sounds like I'd be good."
Strebing enjoys more than just teaching math to his students.
"I think getting the kids that don't really enjoy school, getting them to actually enjoy school, like to come in, and just seeing them actually accomplish something and be proud of it, that's the best part."
It is not just about math for Strebing, it is also about the high school experience for the students.
"I like to talk to them just about everything else except for math," explained Strebing. "Because I know a lot of these kids will not remember a lot of the stuff that we learn in this class, but they will remember the relationships that they had with the people and the students and all of their friends."
"It's not a rewarding job all the time," Strebing said. "But when you see those kids that struggle, and they finally get it, and they're happy about it, and they're surprised with themselves. That's the best thing."
Gino is one of nine finalists for the Arizona Athletics Teacher of the Year Award. The winner will be announced March 5 at the final Arizona Men's Basketball game.
